Iris
by buttons413
Summary: A high end private school has been closed temporarily because of a fire. Now the high and mighty students must go to a public school in a shifty neighborhood where Naruto and his friends await them. Rated for safety. SasuxOC
1. Burn

**A/N: This is my first fanfiction posted up here to so any comments are welcome. Constructive criticism will be loved. Hehe. I apologize before hand for any OOCness of the characters, grammar or spelling mistakes. If you find any please point them out and I will work to correct it. **

**p.s. Bold is for flashbacks or memories. Italics are character thoughts. **

**Disclaimer: In case I forget to say this in future chapters, I don't own Naruto. Doi.**

"It shoulda burned to the ground!"

"….ing preps."

"Hope one of 'em died."

"Wonder who done it."

A small sigh escaped a young woman's lips as she allowed her messenger bag to slide from her shoulder and land in a heap on the cracked and polluted sidewalk. Winter winds pushed through the neighborhood, scraping up small pockets of light snow and swirling them in the air.

Emiko smiled faintly, her eyes gazing ahead of her at a rundown playground. Like most else in the neighborhood it was dirty and rendered almost unusable but Emiko still adored the small playground. There was a rusted slide that was only about 3 feet long. Next to it was a set of three swings. On one end was seat-less swing, one on the other end had a seat connected by only one side. That left the middle as the only one useable and although it was rusted it still worked.

Emiko reached down and scooped up a hand full of snow in her gloved hand. Immediately her fingers began to shiver and prick upon contact. It wasn't surprising, one black glove was worn out with small holes in the palm and fingers and the other was fingerless and frayed along the edges.

As she flung the snow into the wind she shifted her gaze down the street to gaze at her 'beautiful school'.

_No matter how much I love used and old things this is just ridiculous,_ she thought to herself as she studied up and down the building. It might have been a nice school when first built but it was long past its expiration date, the paint on the window frames and main entrance door was chipping, the falling dull red paint revealing the warped wood beneath.

The bricks that actually made up the majority of the building were weathered and broken, giving the school an air of instability. The walkway to the school was still covered in snow and Emiko wasn't surprised as she knew that cleaning the walkway to a school for a bunch of 'hooligans' wasn't on the list of priorities of the caretakers of the city.

Student milled around in front of the school, some sitting on the steps that lead in to the school while others were busy talking about the fire at Sir Gideon's School for Academic Achievers.

"Emi-chan!" Emiko turned just in time to get a full throttle hug from one of her friends as he knocked her into the snow.

"Hey, Naruto." She coughed, grinning faintly as she attempted to clear snow from her face. He sat up, grinning broadly as he plopped down in the snow, a clear amusement in his eyes as he played with the snow.

"Is that a new jacket?" Emiko asked as she stretched a hand out to feel the new clothing. Naruto grinned before standing up to showcase his jacket; it was bright orange, only sullied faintly which was surprising considering Naruto's ability to get anything dirty within minutes. Emiko watched happily, Naruto had been wearing a hand-me-down from a local shelter for months and she had been worried that the tattered coat wouldn't provide enough for her friend.

"Where did you get the money?" She asked curiously as she continued to look over his new wardrobe. He wore plain jean pants as always, they were the cheapest to buy and the longest lasting, under his jacket Emiko was quite sure she could predict he was wearing his trademark orange t-shirt with the school logo scibbled upon it.

"Some lady gave me the money for catching her cat, Tiger," he scratched the back of his head in a sheepish way. "I don't blame the thing for runnin' away either." Emiko nodded happily before she stood.

"Come on we're gonna meet the others at school," she stated before she grabbed her bag and began to lead the way to school.

* * *

"Emiko!" The brunette turned to see a pink-haired girl waving her over. Naruto waved eagerly back and Emiko laughed. Her amusement immediately prompted him to give her a slight glare, trying to hide the sprinkling of pink on his cheeks. Regardless of the warning look from her friend Emiko found his crush on the pink-haired girl amusing. 

"Hey, Sakura," Emiko greeted her calmly as she deposited her bag against the school wall and leaned against the brick, ignoring the sense of worry as she heard a brick crack under her weight. 'Stupid school,' she thought to herself before turning to survey who else had joined them.

Their group consisted of the few kids not interested in violence, gangs, sex, rivalries and cliques. Emiko had started it when she was in 6th grade when she noticed Naruto being shunned and quickly became his friend, from then on she was the person who collected the strays from each clique and formed her own group. Each person was allowed to be themselves in the group and they all knew they could count on each other should the need arise.

"Ohayo Hinata." Emiko smiled to the shy girl who managed a quiet response. Hinata due to her quiet nature and apparent wealth had been an easy target, she had the money to attend Sir Gideon's but had found it terrifying and even worse than Aka High School.

Emiko gazed over the group and found everyone there: Shikamaru, Kiba, Naruto, Sakura, Hinata and Ino.

"Did you hear about Gideon's?" Sakura spoke first on the topic that Emiko knew had been coming.

"Hai, fire." Emiko wondered why it was such a big deal. Other than the fact that the rich kids would have to go somewhere else to enjoy their state of the art technology and classes she didn't know why everyone was so excited.

Ino chose to explain as she quickly recognized why Emiko failed to be so excited about the fire and half destroyed school. "They don't have enough room at all those high end schools so they're sending some kids here."

At this Emiko smiled broadly, laughing slightly as she thought of the idea. ''Cause a rich kid can survive here,' she thought to herself as a fight erupted 10 feet away on the school walkway.

Kiba grinned evilly, his thoughts full of ideas about how to greet the new students. It was well known that to reach Gideons some kids had to pass through Aka neighborhood therefore only fueling the hatred between the students of both schools. Aka students would of course throw trash and toss bullets at the black, sleek, leather interior cars like it was second nature but the Gideon students were innocent as they would try to run kids down or yell insults at those who happened to be walking by.

Just about everyone at Aka High had endured some form of berating from the Gideon kids, Emiko wondered how many kids at Gideons actually passed through Aka to get to Gideon, she'd occasionally seen new cars carrying kids clad in high end uniforms who watched the feud grow as though it was a television show.

"Kiba calm down, maybe they're not all bad." Hinata tried to insist but Emiko shook her head to couple Kiba's protest.

"Are you kidding me! Not all bad!" He made a noise of discontent. "They should have burned with their school." He growled angrily, Kiba was one of the kids constantly caught and taunted by The Uniforms, as they were called. Emiko understood his anger, having been jeered at more than once. Before memories could come up she shoved them aside and resorted to the only thing she could think of to distract the conversation and lighten the mood.

"Orange peels!" she declared lightly and they all stopped instantly.

"You should think of a new phrase to stop the conversation." Naruto stated matter of factly only to feel the pain of Sakura's fist upon his head.

"How troublesome…" Shikamaru said in a tired voice and Emiko glanced at the spiky haired kid leaning against the wall beside her.

"I-" Ino was cut off as a bell rang and Emiko grabbed her messenger bag from the ground before she lead the group towards the front door.

"'Ey sweet tangs." Emiko scowled and tilted her head to see a brutish young man towering over Hinata, Sakura and Ino, each was staring at him in either shock, terror or disgust. Emiko could almost taste the smell of drugs and alcohol surrounding him but her reaction didn't change as she stepped between them. There was a reason they were part of her group, they were her friends and she was an instinctual protector.

"Back off." Her hands itched to go to her hips but she knew with this kind of guy that it could send the wrong message and she didn't want to chance it, she wasn't a great fighter and he easily outweighed her.

His sleazy grin seemed to flip into an immediate frown as he looked at her. She was rather plain in his mind, athletic build so not many curves, she was tall with brown hair that was pulled into a messy bun at the base of her neck and a pair mismatched brown and blue eyes. He didn't really care about, eyes weren't on his mind. Her lips weren't blooming red and her lashes weren't thick and her skin was pale. Unattractive, he thought in one word and his attention immediately turned back to "da beauties" she shielded from him.

Naruto glanced at Kiba and Shikamaru who both seemed interested but not worried and he gave his trademark fox grin, they were definitely members if they knew already that Emiko wouldn't need help.

"Baka, back off." Emiko warned him again. He gave a small hoarse laugh and tried to carelessly swing his arm to knock her aside but instead of feeling her being casually swept aside a series of small pains shot through his arm. Immediately his eyes turned and he saw with faint shock that she had caught his arm, deliberately disobeying the rule that men go over broads in the high school. Her nails dug deeper into his skin and he shook his arm violently to break her grip but found that the sudden jerking movement only caused more pain.

"Bitch let go." He seethed and her gaze hardened before he felt himself shoot backward and skid to a stop on his back. Silence ensued as the groups finally noticed what was going on and whispers began to dart around the crowds Growling in his throat he stood up and looked to see her drop her foot casually before rejoining her friends to walk happily into the school.

"Emi-chan!" Emiko turned to Naruto who was really the only person who used that name for her and grinned as she saw the brilliant smile upon his face. "That was awesome!"

Sakura nodded in agreement but couldn't help voice her worry.

"One of these days you're going to meet someone who is going to match you though…" Emiko turned to her and began to walk backwards, hands behind head with laughter dancing in her eyes.

"True but it won't be that shocking since I'm not really formally trained or all that good anyway." She stated carelessly. Shikamaru sighed and stated his renowned saying of how troublesome. Emiko laughed and immediately jumped towards him to corner him in a headlock causing Shikamaru to protest a little before his lazy nature caused him to simply resign to the head lock.

"How troublesome…" Emiko and Shikamaru voiced in unison causing Shikamaru to blankly stare ahead as the group laughed happily at the antics.

"Come on." Naruto opened the classroom door for them and they each stepped in, few were in the classroom, which wasn't surprising since most students would probably skip school anyway. Those who were already in were busy changing chairs so that they could have one that didn't rock and squeal at the tiniest of motions. The desks were too dangerous to change as nails thrust themselves out of the aging and damaged wood. The top of each desk was engraved, colored and beaten with any kind of graffiti possible.

Immediately Emiko grabbed her seat by the window and set her bag on the cracked ground where it would rest peacefully for the entire day. Aka had hired enough teachers so that there would be enough that each student could have bells and classes in different classrooms with different teachers however only the dedicated teachers appeared everyday so the class schedule had to be rethought and it was decided that each class would be assigned to one teacher who would attempt to teach all the classes.

The desks were arranged in aisles with two desks being beside each other in one aisle and then a space for a walkway before the next aisle would begin. Naruto sat in front of Emiko in his usual desk. Sakura took the seat next to Emiko with Ino across the aisle from her. Shikamaru and Kiba as usual grabbed their seats behind Emiko and Sakura.

"So who do you think is going to be coming? I wonder if it'll be like the popular kids of their school or the dorks." Ino began to wonder aloud and Emiko allowed her head to smack the table.

"Bad idea." Kiba stated from behind her causing her to raise her head and eyebrows in curiosity as she turned back to him. Immediately he struggled to stifle his laughter which of course brought attention from the others and they all began to laugh. An annoyed expression crossed her face as she wondered what would be so amusing.

Sakura finally chose to explain. "They repainted the desks this morning to try and look better for the new students." She giggled. "I guess your desk isn't fully dried." Emiko groaned and once again dropped her head to the desk before cursing when she realized what she'd done. Another burst of laughter broke through the group as they watched her get up and leave for the bathroom to try and clean up.

Emiko sighed as she jerked open the classroom door and continuously rubbed her forehead to hopefully remove some of the paint. Not bothering to look up to see where she was going she collided with a group just outside the door and unwilling to care she easily pushed past them and headed towards the bathroom, not noticing the abrupt silence through the school and its inhabitants.

The bathroom luckily wasn't far away and she hurried to the bathroom to inspect the damage. 'Great,' she thought sarcastically as she inspected her reflection in one of the unharmed mirrors. A plain girl stared back, two splotches of wood colored paint upon her forehead. Emiko hurried into action and turned the handle for water, the girl's bathroom was a place where most everything worked because it was where the females of the school came to gossip and redo their make-up. Emiko couldn't speak for the boy's bathroom since she'd never seen it but she was willing to stake a bet that the girl's cherished and respected their bathroom more than the boys did.

After a few minutes of scrubbing Emiko sighed, the paint was mostly gone but was replaced by tinged pink spots where she had been forced to scrub. 'So much for pretty,' she thought to herself disdainfully before she stepped away to regard herself fully in the mirror. 'God I hate mirrors' she glowered at the reflection as though by doing so she would morph into something pretty.

A pair of tattered jeans hung loosely from her hips, holes appearing to display her pallid knees and worn rips around the tattered bottoms. She wore her brother's converse that he'd grown out of and it was clear they were a hand me down as their former bright red color was reduced to a dark blood color by dirt and wear.

At the front there was a hole and a rip formed on the side of one displaying her black and blue socks. The laces had long worn away from one shoe and Emiko had replaced them with thick, broken rubber bands that would be replaced every week by new ones she found on the ground. Her other shoe's laces were frayed and nearly broken but what did you expect when you stole them from kid shoes that had been thrown out.

She hated those shoes, they fit her and they had been handed down from her brother who was 3 years older. 'Stupid big feet,' she sent a cursing glare at the shoes before returning to look at the mirror as though it was a drug she needed but hated.

Lastly she stared at her shirt, naming all the ways that she could fix herself if she was only willing to be anorexic. 'Damn it,' she thought to herself as she pulled on her worn out, hunter green wife-beater to hopefully change the look. Her black jacket was just as aged and used as everything else if not more so but despite the holes in the pocket and the rips along the sleeves she'd grown quite fond of it. Her brother had told her it had been her grand-mothers and she had cherished it ever since then.

Around her neck was her mother's last Christmas present, a knobby and unraveling blue and brown scarf. To match her eyes, her mother had reasoned.

Realizing how warped her thoughts had become Emiko raced out of the bathroom, cursing the room and all the mirrors in the world for her self doubt. Instead she focused her mind on orange peels to hopefully push the clouds of self loathing back until another time when she could be alone.

Her footsteps echoed down the halls until she stopped outside her classroom and tugged the door open. Looking up Emiko realized that there were 4 new people standing in front of the teacher's desk, each wearing a look of either: hate, apathy or scorn at the woman who was trying to mark down each of their names into her student log.

Her eyes darted over each one as she made quick assessments and judgments of each one. One was about a head taller than the others, his dark eyes and pale white hair contrasting greatly. His body language yelled to everyone 'You're below me!' and Emiko couldn't help but sigh as she watched him speak so arrogantly to the teacher with a smirk clearly plastered on his pretty-boy face.

"Toko Toya." His voice stated blatantly that he believed she was a child who couldn't understand him and he proceeded to try and tell her how to spell his name. Not willing to take any more Emiko grabbed the handle of the door and spared a glance at her friends who understood the look and each covered their ears, a few in the classroom following suit as they saw Emiko.

A loud crash echoed painfully throughout the room and Emiko was sure, throughout the hallways as well. The floor shook for a few seconds and Naruto grinned as he looked to see that the students at the front had shut up, the one who had been speaking before turned to see her at the doorway, grinning proudly as she kept a firm hand on the doorway as though to dare him to say anything.

"Kigurashi. What are you doing?" The teacher asked politely and Emiko looked over to her abruptly.

"Closing the door. It was stuck." She lied before pushing past them and taking her seat.

"Why'd you have to make it so loud." Naruto asked with a hint of a whine in his voice. He none the less laughed and gave her a congratulatory high five.

"Class," The group's attention turned to the teacher as she stood before them, clipboard in hand. "As I'm sure you all heard Sir Gideon's was burned badly-" At this several students cheered and laughed, ignoring the glares pointed at them by 2 of the 4 new comers. "Now, now, I know you don't truly feel that way."

"Iie, we do!" Kiba spoke up to interrupt her attempt at making her class seem more civilized and welcoming to the new students. Emiko laughed for a second but quickly caught herself by turning it into a cough. Shikamaru, taking his chance, slammed her on the back in an attempt to 'help her'. She glared playfully at him which he shrugged off and mouthed 'for the headlock.'

"Class." The teacher stated firmly. "These will be our new students until their school is fixed." She gestured to the four students standing beside her. 'Did she really have to wave at them? It's not like we don't know that it's them.' Emiko thought to herself as she leaned back in her chair to find a comfortable position to observe the new comers.

"This is Toko Toya." The gaze of the class went to the young man from before who looked at them as though they didn't deserve to see his beautiful self.

"This is Nagasaki Megumi." The young girl raised a hand to wave but immediately stopped under the gaze of her fellows. Emiko cocked her head to one side in curiosity as she caught the girl's eyes and smiled faintly which she managed to return. 'She might not be so bad.' Emiko sighed, remembering what her mother would say in this situation.

'Treat them all as potential friends.' She knew she would regret it but decided to at least follow her mother's advice for a day to maybe see how the four new students would react. Her attention returned to the girl, she had curled, golden brown hair, half of which was pulled back into a small ponytail, and bright, friendly hazel eyes. Her clothes were clean and well kept, maybe even ironed as Emiko noticed few if any wrinkles in her white blouse and floor length blue skirt.

"This is Shiiro Kyoko." The fourth person was introduced and the class looked to the last person in line. 'Whore,' Emiko let out a sigh of exasperation as she realized her no judging promise would be hard to keep. The girl had black hair that was cut chin length and gelled to keep straight. Her eyes were deep blue although Emiko couldn't be sure with the heavy black eyeliner, mascara and bright purple eye shadow. Her blouse was unbuttoned just enough that if she tipped one of the flaps her bra would be visible.

'Like a cheap flip book,' Emiko thought to herself. 'Flip through it, it's amusing but worthless.' Immediately she cursed under her breath as she realized what she had thought. 'I never think of my friends this way,' she reasoned and eventually realized that it was simply because of the history between the two high schools that she was willing to be harsher upon them.

'They're all just transfers from…Peru…' she thought to herself as she looked back at the girl, determined to follow her mother's advice and treat them equally. It was hard with the girl wearing expensive jeans with purposefully made holes to make them look worn and aged. 'I-' she shook her head and stopped the thought before it could start.

"Now then, there are still some seats that are available and working…" the teacher paused as she searched for open seats that weren't clearly works of Frankenstein. "There, Shiiro you may sit next to Yamanaka." Ino's face paled and Emiko heard sniggering coming from Kiba as the girl sauntered her way through the aisle to slowly sit beside Ino, the look upon her heavily make-up face suggesting that she would rather sit beside a pile of manure.

Emiko calmly sent her blonde friend an encouraging smile to reassure her that she would be okay which she gratefully returned with a smile of her own.

"Nagasaki, you may sit beside Uzumaki." Emiko leaned forward a little more as Naruto waved her over, a happy grin upon his face. It was noticeable that Naruto's friendly nature was eagerly welcomed by the girl as she quietly made her way to the desk. Just as she was about to set her things down a bag thumped upon the desk and everyone followed it to see a dark haired young man standing beside the desk.

"Uchiha, your seat is over there." Emiko realized he must have been the person she'd missed the introduction to and studied him. His face was blank, his eyes were onyx and empty and Emiko noticed to herself that he seemed completely void of anything human like.

"Nagasaki, sit in my seat." He stated monotonously, his voice commanding just enough that the girl turned to the teacher who pointed to a seat beside the white haired Toko. Beside her Emiko heard a small gasp and turned to see Sakura practically with hearts in her eyes. Her mouth fell open in shock as she watched Sakura then Ino stare at him as he sat down beside Naruto.

'Oh no…' Naruto's eyes were narrowed and his mouth was quivering, it was clear he was ready to yell at the boy who had arrived as though he owned everything. 'Which he actually may.'

"Who-" Emiko lunged forward and clamped her hand securely around his mouth to muffle the yells before she jerked him back towards her.

"Naruto calm down, no fighting you're already in trouble since you got caught spray painting the principal's office and the gym." Truthfully she wasn't sure why she didn't want him to start a fight with the dark haired boy, now sitting diagonally ahead of her, but she decided that it was best to just stay out of his way.

Naruto tried to turn his head away but Emiko held it in place, ignoring the snickers coming from Kiba and Shikamaru who were both entertained at the sight. Finally he nodded and she gradually released him.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE! SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO SIT HERE AND I WAS GOING TO MAKE A NEW FRIEND!" Emiko winced and dropped her head to the table which gratefully had finished drying and groaned as Naruto continued to disrupt the entire class with his ranting at the guy sitting next to him.

"Dobe." Naruto stopped, staring at the boy incredulously before he continued to yell at the otherwise quiet and unperturbed Uchiha.

"Uzumaki! Be quiet or you'll have detention!" The teacher attempted to yell but found it futile as the class began to laugh. "That's it! Detention!" This of course had no more effect than her threat and Emiko leaned back in her chair once again.

"Let the games begin…"


	2. Confrontations, Consolations and Ramen

Iris: Confrontations, Consolations and Ramen

'Ohhhhhh, aiiieeeeeee, suicideeeeeee.' Emiko's thoughts were abruptly interrupted and she thanked anyone who graced her thoughts as she eagerly shoved her notebook into the messenger bag with a flourish.

"FREEDOM!" Naruto declared loudly as he jumped exstatically from his seat. 'He's apparently eager to leave,' Emiko wondered to herself and as her eyes flitted to the young man sitting beside in heavy contrast to Naruto's sunny disposition. 'Uchiha's got to be bothering him,' she realized with a small grin as she pushed Sakura sideways. The girl had barely stopped staring at the Uchiha since he sat before her and Emiko recognized the clear signs of a crush in both the pink and blonde sitting beside her.

"Come on Sakura," she encouraged her to move and she gradually moved with Ino towards the door after sending the Uchiha another shy glance.

"Hey! Move it!" Naruto yelled, his loud voice apparently taking no effect when both Emiko and Naruto noticed no change in his position. He sat stock still in his chair, eyes staring straight ahead with his fingers woven together at his chin. Emiko appeared in front of him, crouching low enough to meet his onyx eye level only to see…well nothing.

Black gaze turned faintly to stare her in the eyes and she smiled warmly before turning away to Naruto and nudging her head towards the door. Seeing what she meant the loud mouthed guy jumped over the desk and joined Sakura and the others at the door.

"Sayoonara." Emiko smiled happily and waved shortly towards him before she turned to leave.

"Leaving so soon?" Despite her own height Emiko had to look almost straight up to see Toya's face which was currently sneering down at her with a smirk etched into his lips.

"Hai." Emiko stated blankly and quickly came to notice that it was her, her friends and the former Gideon students. Taking steps past Toya she shouldered her bag, failing to acknowledge the sound of scraping upon the floor until she felt something hard slam into her back. Out of instinct she spun to avoid hitting something head on and instead her back cracked painfully into a desk.

"What the hell!" Emiko cried out angrily as she collapsed to her knees, her hand desperately trying to rub away the pain throbbing through her back.

"Trash." Toy spit, his arm wrapped around Kyoko as they both turned their nose up at her. From the distance Emiko could practically hear Naruto's thoughts of murder as he stared at those daring to hurt one of his friends. Megumi stood aside quietly, hands folded in front of her with an apologetic glaze over her hazel eyes.

Carefully, Emiko stood to her feet, her back protesting but she ignored it and focused a heated glare at the two still laughing at her as though it was some kind of amusement to attack another student.

"You're one to speak of trash considering what you have in your brain and what's currently wrapped in your arm." Emiko spat, her anger getting the best of her as she

stared at them. Toya growled in return, his eyes narrowing. In quick strides he towered over her, fist pulled back as he prepared to beat sense into her.

In a flash of bright orange Naruto was upon him, quickly joined by Kiba as they tackled him to the ground causing as much noise as possible with their loud shouts and tarzan-like yells. First one then the other was thrown off and Toya steadily advanced on them as well.

Emiko let out a low growl and moved in front of him, protecting her friends as they had done for her from his fist. She tilted to one side and grabbed his wrist, her nails immediately digging into his skin with more drive than she normally did.

"Stop." The voice cut through the heated staring contest between the groups and Emiko's eyes trailed to see the Uchiha standing up, his backpack filled and his eyes watching them all with a sense of boredom and despise. Toya paused and wrenched his arm from her loosened grip.

"You're standing up for this trash Sasuke-kun!" Kyoko accused him as she turned to face him fully, her hands upon her hips to express her attitude. 'So his name's Sasuke…' Emiko thought quietly as she caught his gaze in an attempt to try and uncover his motives. 'No uniform from Gideon would help an Aka kid,' she reasoned as she held his charcoal gaze with her own inquiring look. 'Right?'

"You're all idiots, wasting your time," he broke the connection and looked to Toya with another blank stare. Emiko allowed a small smirk to cross her face as she noticed Toya's reaction to the statement, he tensed, his eyes narrowing at the boy who had dared to insult him so plainly but he also seemed to be scared of him, if even for only a few seconds. It was enough to convince Emiko that Uchiha was the behind the scenes master of the group. Or at least the one with the most bite to back up a bark.

"Naruto, Kiba, come on." Emiko muttered as she shouldered her bag once again and walked to the door, chin held high as she refused to acknowledge the pain shooting in her back.

Left behind in the classroom the four stood before Sasuke silently followed the group and left now allowing the three remaining to collect in the middle of the deserted classroom.

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"Naruto baka! Don't kick down the door!"

"Why not!"

"'Cause it's my door!"

"Really?"

"Duh!"

"Baka."

"Shud up!"

"Naruto don't you dare drop that…" The warning came too late as the bag the blonde had been carrying slipped from his fingers and crashed to the floor causing the weak structure of stairs to shake.

"Naruto!" Ino and Sakura pounced on him in retaliation to almost being killed and Emiko sighed. 'What a day,' she thought to herself as she fought the mental and physical battle to ignore the tremors passing through the staircase. Quickly she grabbed the only key from it's hiding spot above the door frame and hastily unlocked the door to allow her and her friends entrance.

The first to rush in were Ino and Sakura who practically ploughed over Emiko in their desperation to escape the rocking stairs.

"Don't worry guys that thing's never fallen and my brother's had much heavier than you." Emiko consoled them as they hurried into the small one bedroom studio that Emiko called home. Just as the school the paint was chipping and the windows were cracked or broken but it still had a welcoming air to it despite everything. Emiko's bed was unmade, or at least it seemed like it as an aged tan bed sheet was twisted carelessly on the small twin mattress.

"Don't you live with your brother and father?" Naruto questioned as he surveyed the small room and immediately hopped onto the bed with a satisfied grin.

"Just my father now, Yukito got a job and moved out." She reminded them as she took a spot on the floor. Despite the fact that her place was one of the smallest the group unanimously enjoyed it more than anyone else's place.

"Naruto did you just leave the groceries outside?" Emiko questioned with a quirked eyebrow. The blonde paled and shook his head slowly as the brunette opened the door to reveal the paper bag on its side outside her door, its contents spilled out across the ancient welcome mat. She sighed and scooped all the cheap instant ramen into the bag and carried it inside where she placed it neatly on top of the mini-fridge that rested beside a version of a mini stove.

"Did all you buy was instant ramen?" Kiba asked as he peered into the bag, his nose twitching faintly as he sniffed at the contents of the bag. Emiko nodded as she show cased the bulk cases of ramen.

"It's massively cheap." She explained and Naruto nodded with a slightly dazed and drunken look as his thoughts drifted over ramen.

"What did you think of the new kids?" The subject that was begging to be brought up was dragged to the surface by Ino and Sakura's attention turned immediately to the others in the room.

"Toko-teme(Toya) is a moron. Nagasaki-san(Megumi) doesn't seem bad. Shiiro(Kyoko), slut. Uchiha-san, not sure yet…" Emiko calmly said as she sat cross leged on the floor. Naruto still sat happily on her bed while Ino and Sakura leaned against the footboard. Shikamaru and Kiba lazed across the floor with small smiles of contentment upon their face as they reclaimed their chosen seats.

Sakura opened her mouth but Emiko guessed her statement and beat her to the words.

"Uchiha-san is so hot and nice, right?" Both Ino and Sakura smiled sheepishly and the boys sniggered at Emiko's accurate prediction.

"I WANNA MARRY SASUKE-KUN!" Naruto squealed in imitation of Ino and Emiko burst into laughter at the exactness of Ino's voice and at the look upon the mimicked girl's face.

"YOU!" She growled and jumped at the boy with a vengeance Emiko hadn't seen from her in a while. 'Back to normal,' Emiko wondered to herself in amusement as a tousle broke out amongst the group. Shikamaru had refrained from joining but none the less it was interesting to watch the outcomes as Kiba was eventually kicked from the bed by a conjoined force of Sakura and Ino.

As the dust settled Emiko saw Sakura and Ino both resting contently with their feet upon the headboard chatting away gaily while Naruto struggled to dislodge himself from his position stuck between the wall and the bed.

Seeing the sight hysterical laughter burst forth and Emiko happily beat the ground to express her enjoyment at the sight. Kiba sat up slowly, his eyes out of focus as he rubbed his head before he stretched.

"Got beat by girls?" Emiko joked and Kiba scowled faintly as he sensed her tone.

"So what you got beat by Toko. That's just as bad." Kiba retorted.

" What do you mean 'just as bad'!" Emiko declared with mock indignation before she threw the one childhood stuffed animal at her with just enough aim to hit one side of his head.

"OW! YOU BLINDED ME!" Kiba yelled dramatically as he fell back upon the ground with a loud thump. Emiko crawled over and crouched beside him, chuckling to herself before her weapon whacked her in the face. She fell back abruptly and groaned as she landed on her back with the ancient stuffed rabbit laying limply on her face.

"Orange peels…"

"What is it with you and orange peels!"

"Shut up Naruto!"

"I'M GONNA DIE!"

"EMI-CHAN STOP BEING SO SAKURA-CHAN LIKE!"

"WHAT! NARUTO YOU BAKA!"

"OWIE! MOMMY!"

"NARUTO GET OFF SHIKAMARU HE'S NOT YOUR MOTHER!"

"How do you know?"

…

"That's just wrong Emiko…"


	3. If Not For Shadows

Iris: For Shadows

Shadows tossed and turned against the walls of the room, contorting with lurid excitement as they spread and shifted by command of light and wind. Sitting on her bed, Emiko had wrapped her body in a cocoon of cheap fabric as her eyes watched the shadows against the wall.

'It's nothing…' she tried to convince herself as she turned her head away from the shadows, her eyes firmly closed. 'It's just shadows…' A loud crack roared outside, the sudden sharp sound causing her to jump and twist in her covers while she let out a feeble shout of surprise and tipped backwards.

She groaned as her back effectively smacked onto the floor, her feet still resting on her bed. Aggrivation pecked at her mind and she angrily tore away the sheets until she felt the cold air slide along her skin meaning she was free.

It had been hours since her friends had gone home and Emiko unfortunately had to try and fall asleep in an empty home. Deciding that being outside even with the heavy threat of violence was better than being inside with her imagination alone Emiko quickly grabbed her bag and displayed its contents upon the floor. Where she was going she wouldn't need her school things.

Instead she hurried to her small collection of drawers and pulled out an aged film camera, one of the few things her mother had refused to sell when they had been forced into the Aka neighborhood. Emiko bought the film with her saved lunch money when she could. She tucked the camera and a few rolls of generic film into the bag safely, her former brutish behavior about the contents of her bag long gone as she handled the items as they were of glass.

Deciding against changing as she didn't have the energy for it she grabbed her jacket, shoes and scarf and walked out the door, quite aware that she was wearing old pajama pants and her wife-beater. 'You're not supposed to always look good, remember?' her feminist side spoke loudly but she couldn't help the nagging feeling that she should go and change.

Ignoring all the thoughts she began to murmur the remnants of a song:

"Everybody wants a waterbuffalo, yours is fast and mine is slow. Where we get them I don't know but everybody wants a waterbuffalo." A grin crept onto her face as she fastened the scarf around her neck and pulled her shoes on just before she walked out to the street.

"I took my buffalo to the store, when we got there it hit the door. Akanashi most kanga pop, but everybody wants a waterbuffalo." She chuckled at herself as she realized that she still didn't know the third line and laughed at her lame attempt at impromptu line-making.

Once upon the sidewalks, still layered in snow, and effectively freezing her feet Emiko hopped the few steps to the street where the snow had been eroded by the heat of cars. 'There shouldn't be that many cars,' she thought to herself as she began to walk down the streets. It was usually more risky to be on the sidewalks, near houses where its inhabitants could always yell and shout. And the street had street lights which helped Emiko with her wariness of the dark.

It wasn't long before she found the old park and she joyfully pulled out her camera to take some photos of the deserted and beautiful night time playground. As her finger poised to take another picture she heard something in the background. Her eyes scanned the area and finally rested on the school not far away. Inside Emiko could see lights flickering on and off and shadows creeping past the windows before the sound of shattering glass could be heard.

Mixtures of curiosity and instinct compelled her forward as she ran full speed towards her unfortunate school. Her thoughts buzzed on what could be happening and no matter what she thought of she was sure it was something bad.

'Damn it,' rang continuously through her mind like a broken tape player as she skidded to a half before her school and raced up the walkway and past the front doors. As her shoe connected to the floor she cringed hearing the loud noise and realized that stealth mode would be required.

Desperately, she tried to ignore the memories of when she and Naruto had "gone stealth mode" into Kiba's house by hiding from lamp post to lamp post while Naruto murmured the James Bond theme song. Her lips tightened as she tried to stifle the laugh and focused on slipping off her shoes before she quietly padded her way towards the light.

"Kyoko, you're making too much noise." Emiko stopped dead as she recognized the voice and anger began to tingle beneath her skin, the feeling rising in heat and fury with every step she took towards her classroom door.

"Sumimasen, Toya-kun." She stated and Emiko guessed there was a hidden meaning but was unwilling to pry further. Another step closer, her hand grasped the handle to the door but she waited, hopefully by staying silent she could figure out what the hell they were doing.

'I hate them already,' she glowered at the door, the feeling of anger rising against her wishes and she knew that she couldn't stay quiet for long.

"Why do we have to do this?" Megumi's sweet voice was strained, barely audible over the sound of crashing metal and breaking glass.

"Megumi shut up! If we trash this place then they're going to send up somewhere else so we don't have to be amongst this trash." Toya snapped before the sound of something crashing against the door resonated throughout the room.

"But why must we frame th-"

"Why do you even care! If we frame them it makes this all so much better. They'll get in so much trouble and we won't even be here when they realize who caused it all!" Toya's laughter buzzed in her ear and she realized what was going on.

'Those!' she strained to finish her thought but found it impossible as her anger clogged her thoughts. Curses remained intact as she readily cursed them. She wasn't sure what else they were doing to the room but if it was enough that the Uniforms thought they would be placed somewhere else it probably was paired with graffiti. And to blame it on her and her friends. Too far.

'He doesn't know what he's messing with.' The saying about fire flashed in her mind and a smirk slowly dawned on her lips before she hauled the door open, listening with satisfaction as it crashed open, the sound louder than anything they had caused.

Refusing to look weak, Emiko ignored the pain shooting through her ears and instead took a survey of who was there. Megumi stood in the back with desks and chairs askew around her, her hands were clasped firmly over her ears. Kyoko and Toya were both in the middle, each had their hands over their ears to shield some of the noise and Emiko noticed the spray paint cans all around the room and two rolling at their feet. In the whole room there seemed to be only one stable desk, her own but Emiko realized that someone was currently sitting in it, his head straight ahead and his fingers entertwined in front of him.

"What the hell are you doing here!" Toya snarled as he recognized the girl who had readily become such a nuisance to him. Kyoko paired his death glare with one of her own but Emiko's smirk only widened.

"Your glare couldn't scare a kitten." She challenged the girl before turning to Toya. "I could ask you the same damn thing." Her gaze now hardened as she met his glare with a fierce one of her own.

"We're fixing up after what _you_ and _your friends_ did to this classroom." His chest rose with hot air as he turned his nose up at her.

"How long do you think I was standing there, baka?" she hissed.

"Forgive me Emiko-san." Megumi stepped forward, her posture was straightened a little and Emiko wondered what the two had said to her to convince her to stay. Toya turned violently towards the girl but she kept her eyes locked with Emiko who motioned for her to come. The blonde ran forward and stepped to Emiko's side.

In such a situation she normally would have felt happy for finding a new friend but all she felt was a sense of revenge and satisfaction as Toya watched with coiled rage as Megumi stayed beside Emiko.

"What are you doing here?" She directed her question at the silent one sitting in her seat, for a few minutes it seemed as though he wouldn't react when his black eyes chanced a glance in her direction.

"They're my ride." He stated monotonously as he returned to staring ahead at the wall.

"Ah bull. You're rich, you probably have a cell phone or at least some money to call someone for another ride." Emiko replied before she began to study the defamatory graffiti upon the wall.

"Don't judge, baka." Abruptly Emiko turned her attention back to the Uchiha as she realized what he had said. 'Damn he sounds like my mother…except colder.' She thought as she studied him, his gaze was still blank and she wondered if he even could feel anything. 'I could always dress him in a bunny suit and see how he reacts to that…'

Seeing her attention distracted Toya raced forward, spray bottle in hand as he smashed it into the side of her head before she could react. Megumi let out a small shriek as Emiko crashed into a desk and slid to a slow stop.

Emiko cursed beneath her breath and gingerly rose to her feet, her fingers meticulously touching the epicenter of her now throbbing head. Crimson liquid stained her fingertips as she studied them and realized with a sense of delay that she was bleeding. 'Why didn't I see that coming…' her thoughts expressed the remorse at her poor performance that her mouth refused to acknowledge.

Laughter magnified the pain but Emiko refused to wince as she stared back into Toya's face, the weakness he had expected to be heavily laden across her face after such a moment was missing, only to be replaced by a fierce anger.

"Sasuke, Kyoko-chan, Megumi let's go." Toya declared as he realized that he was facing someone who was beyond furious and determined. Two bodies moved towards the door and Toya turned in surprise as he noticed Megumi beside Emiko and Sasuke still sitting, of course watching the wall with apparent apathy.

"Hey you two! Baka!" He yelled loudly as he looked between Sasuke and Megumi. Under his gaze the blonde seemed unnerved but Emiko offered her a small smile which she gratefully returned and she continued to stand resolutely beside Emiko. 'Take that.' She couldn't help but feel victorious as he realized how quickly he had been abandoned for Emiko.

"Sasuke I'm your ride home." Toya acknowledged her choice grudgingly when he turned to the Uchiha who acted as though he hadn't heard him. "Fine you want to stay with the trash! You are trash!" The Uniform stomped from the room, slamming the door as he went. Emiko groaned as the noise rattled her thoughts into incoherent murmurs, her legs folded beneath her as she sat on the floor.

"Emiko-sa-"

"You can call me Emiko." The golden haired, former Uniform smiled gratefully and sat beside the brunette.

"What are you going to do about the classroom? If you leave it like this you might get in a lot of trouble." Megumi thought aloud and Emiko nodded in understanding as she surveyed the room once again. The windows were broken and Emiko guessed that someone had kicked at them or thrown things to crash through. Shambles of desks were strewn about and Emiko acknowledged that most of the desks were mere splinters of wood.

What worried her most was the graffiti upon the wall, slanders of the new students and derogatory sayings were plastered on every wall and surface. Hope of possible fixing the damage dwindled like a candle burning low in snow and she felt her face fall. On the walls were also their names: Emi, Naruto, Kiba, Shika, Ino, Sakura and Hinata. 'God they even brought Hinata into this, she's not even in our class!' She groaned and rubbed her temples. 'Hinata's parents are going to flip.'

The thud of a spray bottle broke her thoughts to pieces and she jolted in place as the bottle rolled beside her. Following it's trail she looked up to see Sasuke now standing a yard away.

"Stop groaning, it's annoying." He stated and Emiko grinned goofily as she noticed a hint of annoyance in his tone. His eyes shifted from hers to the bottle and she gingerly picked it up, ignoring the paint idly carving its way down the container. With her thumb she scratched away some of the dry paint and her smile immediately broadened.

"Why are you smiling?" Megumi asked as she leaned over her shoulder to look at the paint bottle.

'Nippon Spray Paint. Perfect.' Her smile turned to a small laugh and she tilted her head to look to Megumi then Sasuke.

"Does Whitie always go through his ancient stuff when getting ready to deface public property?" She questioned curiously, Sasuke gave a small 'hn' although Emiko sensed a little bit of relief that he didn't have to spell out his friend's stupidity for her.

"What do you mean?" Megumi said innocently and Emiko turned to explain it to her. Luckily her thoughts were recollected enough that she could understand reason and think decently without a heavy pulsating pain in her head.

"Nippon Spray Paint went under some years ago. It was founded by a man who wanted to get the money the "gangsters" provided by buying cheap spray paint but he wanted something that was easy to wash off because he hated graffiti. After a while they began to notice the graffiti would weather away just by rain so they made the connection and burned the place to the ground for scamming them." Emiko let out a small laugh at the look on Megumi's face. It resembled Naruto's when she wasted her time explaining something that he only needed a simple explaination.

"It washes off." Their gathered attention focused on Sasuke who had easily summarized her sentences with three words. Megumi's look was replaced by one of happiness and relief.

"You could have said that Emiko. It's much easier." Megumi teased with a small giggle which fastened as Emiko stuck out her tongue and jokingly shoved her. "I'll go get the water and some soap." Megumi offered and before Emiko could add anything she was out the door.

'So…' The unvoiced thought ricocheted around her thoughts as she turned to see Sasuke sitting back in her seat. Seeing the opportunity to speak Emiko readily jumped to it.

"Like the seat?" The question went unanswered but she wasn't disappointed as she noticed his eyes focus upon her. 'At least he's listening.' To replicate the events of the morning she walked up to him, a warm smile upon her features as she crouched down to be eye level with the strange Uniform.

"Why didn't you go with them?" Her voice was quiet and full of sincere curiosity.

"Didn't need to." The answer surprised her and it was clear as her eyebrows raised before quickly furrowing in confusion. Even seeing the change in her features he didn't elaborate.

"You're enjoying my confusion aren't you." It was more a statement than a question so she resigned to silence.

"Something you should be used to." The shock was injected to the atmosphere before Emiko burst into laughter and fell back, sitting and eventually lying back to enjoy the satisfaction. Sasuke raised a brow at her behavior but ignored the confusion rambling in his mind, only gathering his thoughts quick enough to prevent a small twitch of his lips.

Emiko gradually ceased to a grin and she returned to her position at eye level. "Did you just tease me?" The light tone of her voice matched the amusement and sparks in her eyes as she locked eyes with him.

"Hn." The next few minutes stayed that way with Emiko making a simple comment and Sasuke trading it for his common 'hn' remark. Despite the lack of true words Emiko enjoyed the unusual behavior of the boy it was quite amusing to her.

"I found some buckets," the door slid open to reveal Megumi carrying two buckets filled with water. "Here are some rags and I put some soap in them since there was only liquid soap." She tossed the rags to Emiko who caught them and offered one to Sasuke. Megumi watched in interest, a faint smile on her lips as she watched first Sasuke refused to help then Emiko's attempt at reverse psychology only to see the final result to be an annoyed Sasuke with his head adorned by a rag.

"If you're not going to help then you might want to call for a ride home since we won't be doing anything else." Emiko called as she managed to hop her way through the room, only stumbling once due to a sudden increase of pain in the side of her head. 'I should do something about that…' the thought was knocked from her head as she began to diligently work to scrub off the writing.

Megumi joined in as she grabbed another rag and began to work as well. Her thoughts drifted over the day and the new people joining her life. As her mind wandered towards the more thought-provoking notions a purposefully off tune singing voice dragged her back to the classroom.

" Everybody wants a waterbuffalo! Yours is fast and mine is slow! Where we get them I don't know but everybody wants a waterbuffalo!" Emiko glanced over to Megumi and winked good naturedly at her before they both broke into light laughter.

"Is there any more to the song?" The golden haired girl questioned as she washed off the spray paint.

"I took my buffalo to the store! When we got there it hit the doo-" Emiko stopped suddenly and raised a hand to her head. Resting there was a rag. Still grinning she grabbed it and inspected it for a moment before turning to Sasuke who was now rag-less.

"Uchiha! That's not nice I didn't finish the song!" Emiko declared before she threw the rag back and watched gleefully as it successfully perched back upon his raven hair. She bent down, believing the battle to be hers as she dunked her rag in the bucket of water. To her surprise she felt water splash into her face as another rag landed into the bucket, effectively spraying her with water.

Slowly, to give the effect she desired, Emiko raised her head and a smirk appeared on her face. Beads of water slipped down her face and she blinked repeatedly as she stared at Sasuke who was once again rag-less.

"You're annoying."

"Are you challenging me Uchiha?" Emiko ignored his comment and instead grabbed his former weapon and made sure it was heavily burdened with water.

"Hn." Megumi rolled her eyes before she turned away from the rag war(instigated of course by Emiko) and carried on with the cleaning.


	4. Eyelashes Over Reality

Iris: Blinking in Reality

Echoes in a sweet tune passed through the room, the winds whistled through the window panes in an orchestra of high melodies and the remnants of the night before played in the minds of each figure calmly in the room. A head of golden hair rose from the shadows, the rising sun striking boldly to give a soft glow.

Megumi blinked, her hand cast over her face to shield herself from the hash glare until she was fully adjusted. Her gaze turned over the classroom and a sense of pride and accomplishment washed over her. The walls were cleaned of the graffiti, only specks of the paint were left as reminders of what had been. The desks had been exchanged with those unused in the classroom next door. The differences were barely noticeable.

Sasuke sat in Emiko's seat; the only sign of his apparent sleep was his closed eyes and apparent oblivion to the winds tousling his hair. A few minutes later Megumi found, with a small fit of giggles, Emiko sleeping at the front of the classroom facing the wall. A rag was still held in her hand as it passed the impression she had fallen asleep while trying to finish her work. Tresses of brown hair turned deep chestnut color in the sun's light although it did nothing to make the picture of the sleeping girl look any more elegant. Her hair was pulled into a loose bun at the base of her neck but after the night's antics most had fallen out and the winds had proceeded to tangle the hair into a bird's nest while she slept.

Looking between the two still sleeping Megumi remembered how the last night had gone. Despite Emiko's best attempts Sasuke had refused in his silent way to help clean although he did seem to have fun nudging Emiko along her way to frustration as he had pointed out various mistakes of hers, coupled with usual insults along the way.

Emiko had taken most in stride and as revenge she had managed to return every of Sasuke's comments with one of her own and every action with a smack of her rags which she had deemed 'Keiko' and 'Bob'.

A slight shiver of movement caught Megumi's attention and she noticed Emiko shake faintly as she slept. She couldn't blame her, Emiko had been sent to refill a water bucket and after she left Sasuke had cleverly managed a trap for her as his way to end the battle. Megumi assumed he was getting bored with it. Either that or annoyed. So Emiko had a rude reentry into the room and was forced to work the rest of the night in soaked clothes.

Another movement. Megumi turned to see Sasuke waking slowly and she gave a unrequited smile.

"Everything's finished." Megumi stated the apparent obvious which Sasuke took in silently. Onyx eyes traveled over the room, pausing a few times before they closed again. Megumi scratched her head for a moment in confusion, her eyebrows furrowed at the response before decided to shrug it off.

"Uh…" she struggled to think of something to say. Immediately her mind jumped to Emiko's water buffalo song but she realized quickly that it wasn't the appropriate time. "Why did you stay?" Seconds passed without an answer and for a second it seemed as though he had gone back to sleep.

"No ride." His voice was quiet as he spoke.

"Won't your parents wonder?"

"No."

"Why not?" The interviewer followed his lead as she lowered her voice yet it seemed that it was a question he wasn't willing to answer and she allowed it gradually to drop.

"So…are you going to be friends with Toya and Kyoko?"

Voices waved into Emiko's mind as she gradually woke up, her thoughts decided upon feigning sleep as she listened in upon the conversation. Sasuke once again didn't answer and after a few minutes Emiko decided to wake seeing that things weren't due to become interesting.

"Ohayo Emiko." Megumi greeted her sweetly and Emiko only gave a small nod to show she'd heard. "You should probably go and wash up." Emiko raised a brow at the suggestion but followed Megumi's hand motions as she felt her forehead. "Your hair's a mess and you had some blood on your forehead from last night." Megumi explained and Emiko's mouth soon formed an 'O'.

'That makes sense…I completely forgot to bandage my head.' Emiko let out a sigh of exasperation before she stood up and rubbed her hand through her hair, or at least tried to but found that her fingers were tangled amongst the locks.

"How much time do we have until school starts?" Emiko said as she uncoiled her fingers from her hair and looked at her two night time companions.

"An hour and 22 minutes." Sasuke responded as he double checked on his watch. With an exaggerated groan and a long stretch Emiko stood.

"Are you both going to stay here for the whole hour and 22 minutes?"

"21." Mismatched eyes rolled while a small grin traced her lips.

"Fine whole hour and 21 minutes." She corrected herself and cautiously sat upon a desk to watch the two with inquisitive eyes.

"I'm not sure what to do," Megumi confessed sheepishly. "I told my mother that I was spending the night at Kyoko's so I probably shouldn't go home."

Emiko nodded in understand as she struggling to run her fingers through her hair in hopes that it would comb out nicely. 'Stupid hair,' she thought to herself before reminding with a mental note to reply to Megumi.

"Both of you are welcome to come to my place for a while, wash up and stuff if you want. There isn't much but it beats being here for an hour and," she paused, mentally trying to calculate the guess of how many minutes should Sasuke choose to be a jerk and correct her over something so pointless. "Some minutes."

"Okay! Arigato!" Megumi smiled brightly and hurried off to empty the classroom of the cleaning supplies. A small chuckle passed through the air as Emiko watched her and eventually moved to sit on the desk behind Sasuke. Sunshine streamed through, the heat was welcomed warmly as Emiko pulled her legs in and circled her arms around her legs, her chin rested on her knees as her eyes were tilted outward.

"Are you going to come?" Emiko finally chose to spoke and she turned her eyes in time to watch Sasuke shift in his seat.

"Iie." A small frown crossed her mouth and her eyes narrowed at his back. 'Totally putting you in a bunny suit when you're asleep.' She declared psychologically as she stared at his back. His jacket was dark blue with a foreign white symbol upon his back but she ignored it.

"Awww, why not?" Emiko decided to whine and changed positions to sit cross legged allowing her to lean forward. The figure before her moved slightly and she let out a small glower at his back before grabbing the back of his chair and turning it enough that she could see him. "You're supposed to look someone in the eye when they're talking to you." She pointed out with a joking smile upon her face. His eyes narrowed but she refused to release her grip on his chair as he tried to return to his former position.

"It won't kill you." She exclaimed and felt herself being forced to move forward an inch as he began to jerk his chair away. "If I fall off this desk and die I'm going to haunt you forever. Fooooooooooorrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrr." She threatened and with satisfaction she felt him stop moving. "Now you can come with me and Megumi." Before he could protest she jumped off the desk and grabbed his sleeve in an attempt to yank him from his chair.

After several seconds of exasperating pulling Emiko felt no change and opened her eyes to see Sasuke still sitting, staring at her as though she was an insane waste of his time.

With a mighty lurch she attempted to pull him out of the chair and with a loud yell of victory she crashed to the ground, his jacket crumpling over her face.

"Baka!" Emiko stood up abruptly and glowered at him, her sudden upset prompting her to throw his jacket at him which simply bypassed his tilted head.

"You should learn to aim." Sasuke advised smoothly and Emiko couldn't help but send an annoyed glare which gradually lessened as the moment of anger wafted away. Giggles rose and she broke into joyful laughter, one finger pointed at the Uchiha in a teasing manner which he attempted to ignore.

"What are you laughing at?" He remarked only to be answered with stifled chuckles.

"I'm not sure…" She finally admitted. His brow knit in puzzlement and Emiko jumped at her chance to get him. Literally. With a loud thud they both crashed to the ground and Emiko let out a mental sigh of relief as they had successfully evaded hitting any dangerously solid objects on their quick descent.

"You're annoying." Sasuke coughed out but Emiko wasted no time in fastening his jacket sleeve around his wrist in an attempt to make a leash. With a final heave she felt the satisfaction as both of them made it to their feet. As she began to walk she felt the leash tug and slack and turned to see it fall from his wrist and slid few inches along the floor.

"OH COME ON!" Emiko stated loudly before letting out an irritated groan. "Fine be that way!" She turned on her heel and grabbed her bag before meeting Megumi who had been standing by the door the entire time with a highly entertained look upon her face. Megumi waved quietly to Sasuke and followed the girl as she left, her anger quickly blowing itself out to be replaced with sudden lethargy.

Paces slowed and eventually reached a leisurely pace as the pair exited the school grounds along their path towards Emiko's place.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Otou-san!" Emiko called out as she opened the door to her humble home. No response. With a shrug of her shoulders she cautiously dropped her bag to the floor and reloaded it with her school requirements. Megumi stepped in shyly, hazel eyes wide as she took in the state of her place with hidden shock. Properly she cleared her throat and under Emiko's wondering gaze she smiled sweetly, if somewhere nervously.

"It's very nice-" Emiko let out a short laugh good naturedly before she waved the polite compliment away.

"Calm down Megumi, you don't have to congratulate me on my wonderful palace." Emiko gave surety to the girl who was clearly out of her comfort zone and Emiko was willing to bet her proper upbringing hadn't prepared her for such an encounter. "I'll be right back, you can sit on the bed or the chair they're both safe." She joked in an attempt to lighten the mood and Megumi readily accepted the cheered atmosphere as she quietly sat upon the bed.

Once Emiko had closed the bathroom door Megumi released a small breath that came out in a shallow and shuddering wisp of air. So this was what it was like…Emiko's bed squeaked in protest as she shifted anxiously, the abrupt sound causing the girl to stop in fear as though Emiko would rush out to scold her at any moment.

"So she lives here." The sudden voice commanded attention and Megumi turned her head faintly to see Sasuke standing in the doorway, hands shoved in pockets and his uniform of indifference in his stature.

"Sasuke-san, I thought you weren't coming." Megumi noted aloud. The observation went by without a reply as usual and Megumi sighed at the boy's evident anti-social-ness. Just then the door handle twisted and a refreshed looking Emiko stepped out. Her hair was now combed neatly and tied into two low ponytails with a few strands framing her face. Her green wife-beater had been replaced by a black one and her pajama pants had been interchanged for a pair of worn and baggy jeans.

Like her clothes from before they were all worn and the jeans had rips and frays. On the shirt there was a white patch in an inorganic shape, the stitching holding the piece in place was irregular and Megumi realized that it was a home done patch job.

"That looks like trash." Sasuke's comment earned him a heated glare from the girl as she pulled on her jacket and scarf.

"When did you get here? I thought you were too good to come." Any resentment for the statement that Megumi had expected was missing, her voice was genuine inquisitiveness as she glanced sideways at him.

His usual response was of course expected but Emiko continued to watch him until he resigned and tossed a black object her way which she frantically caught. In her hands was her camera and she began to mental berating upon herself as she realized how idiotic she'd been to leave it behind. 'I can't believe I forgot it,' she mentally growled at her own stupidity.

"Arigato." She thanked him sincerely and Megumi smiled as she began to notice the genuine personality of her new friend.

"Just don't forget it again." Was Sasuke's response and Emiko nodded before safely tucking it away in her bag for later use.

"Did you wash your hair Emiko?" Upon hearing the question Emiko glanced up and then quickly peeked at her hair which was, after a few minutes of inspection Megumi concluded, still damp.

"Hai." Emiko answered calmly before she stood, her bag upon her shoulder. "You can use the bathroom if you need to clean up. I can make some breakfast too." She offered like the perfect hostess and Megumi smiled shyly.

"I don't want to be any trouble though…" Her sentence was cut short as Emiko waved it away with a flourish of her hand.

"Nonsense." Her voice was manipulated to sound like a rich woman from a television show and Megumi couldn't help but giggle as Emiko made the role complete as she turned her nose up, narrowed her eyes and placed her hand on her hip. Once she properly thanked the brunette Megumi entered the bathroom to hopefully clean up before she would return to school.

Before the door had even snapped shut fully Sasuke made another plain statement. "You look like an idiot." The act was dropped immediately and Emiko turned to give the young man a dark and blank look which he ignored.

"Then I guess I must be imitating you." She said sarcastically. Upon hearing the water begin to run Emiko jolted into quick action and appeared before the Uchiha who hid the faint surprise at her sudden speed.

"Come Uchiha," Without a moment to escape Emiko grabbed his wrist and attempted to drag him towards the mini stove and mini fridge. "We shall make breakfast."

"Iie." Loud groaning could be heard from the brunette as she slowly turned on her heel to face the ever stubborn Sasuke. 'Why out of all the personalities he could have had! Why stubborn! …Jerk.' The thoughts were loud and annoyed but she brushed them aside.

"Onegaisimasu?" She pleaded, trying to activate her puppy eyes. Truthfully Emiko was a decent cook but she found that it was more enjoyable with someone fun. And if she couldn't have someone like that then she would settle for someone to annoy.

"You shouldn't beg." Her hope perked when she heard the hint of a submission in his voice. 'Come on…it'll be fun,' she tried to psychically coax him. For a moment her thoughts halted, she was actually enjoying being around Uniforms? 'What is wrong with the world...? IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD!' Easily enough her joking thought was dismissed along with the others before she continued to usher him towards the stove.

So they began to make breakfast, Sasuke was assigned the duty to watch the ramen while Emiko washed dishes. Faintly smiling Emiko stole a glance at the boy as he leaned against the wall beside the mini-stove before she turned back and finished drying the dishes.

"How's breaky-fast coming?" Emiko stepped away and peered into the pot. "UCHIHA! You're supposed to keep it from being overdone!" She reprimanded as she took the pot from the stove in an attempt to save the noodles within. Sasuke shrugged carelessly earning him a blank stare from Emiko. "No breakfast for you then." Once again he shrugged off Emiko's attempt to punish him. She allowed a small scowl before she returned to the dishes and began to pour out three bowls of ramen.

"I thought I didn't get any." Sasuke mentioned and Emiko turned to see he was standing beside the wall. A grin brightened her face and she raised an eyebrow curiously as she held his black stare.

"Well I can always save this for later if you don't want it." She held out a bowl tantalizingly, grinning as the steam rose into the air. After a few seconds of no response Emiko shrugged and returned to the collection of dishes to find some clean chopsticks. A small rustling caused Emiko to jolt and she turned to see Sasuke sitting in a chair, a bowl of ramen in his hand with chopsticks in the other. Seeing the sight Emiko couldn't help but laugh and roll her eyes.

'He's such a trip,' she thought to herself before Megumi stepped out of the bathroom looking happy and refreshed. The smell wafted towards her and she closed her eyes as she smelt the ramen before her stomach grumbled, prompting her to giggle nervously.

"Here Megumi." Emiko handed her the more filled of the two along with the cleaner pair of chopsticks that Megumi gratefully took as she sat on Emiko's bed. As a comfortable silence began to fill Megumi relaxed, enjoying the quick silence.

"It's overdone."

"Shut up Uchiha you were the one who was supposed to be watching the ramen!" Megumi sighed, a small twinkle of amusement in her eyes as she listened to Sasuke and Emiko exchange choice words.


	5. Truths

Snow crackled under the feet of three teens as they walked down the sidewalk, one walked in front, smiling innocently, while the other two walked at a slower pace. The sun had risen and the snow began to soften into slush, the dirt that had been hidden beneath the white layers resurfaced as it mixed to sully the snow into a dark colored mess.

Megumi glimpsed over her shoulder to see Emiko with a calm look, she wasn't smiling but she seemed content as she walked beside the Uchiha who strode along with his hands in his pockets and his eyes straight ahead. Had Megumi not noticed the small glances between Emiko and Sasuke she would have thought Emiko was walking beside a brick wall.

"Arigato." Emiko murmured, the ends of her lips faintly upturned as she watched the ground contemplation. Silence followed and Emiko took her time before explaining her gratitude. "For bringing back my camera and for hanging out."

She let out a small chuckle as she noticed Sasuke pause, unsure of how to respond. Without hesitation Emiko covered the moment as she continued to talk.

"Why didn't you go home last night?" The question had been steadily nipping at her mind ever since she had seen him in the classroom late that night. "Won't your parents wonder where you were?"

"No." His lack of silence before he answered baited her interest and she leapt at the chance to pry further. 'Don't be rude though,' she reminded herself as she reviewed her following question to make sure it wasn't offensive.

"Why?" Her voice was soft and coated with innocent curiosity. Footsteps paused and Emiko turned to see Sasuke standing still, his eyes trained on her calmly before his mouth opened to reply. Emiko held his gaze bravely, praying that he would tell her, something, anything. Her gut churned as she pried into his eyes with somber worry when she noticed a flicker of sadness in his eyes.

"They're dead." The apathy in his voice sent more chills than the harshest winter and Emiko's eyes softened to show her sorrow at what he had said.

"Sumi-"

"Don't." Sasuke placed one foot before he other and continued to walk past the girl. 'There's more to him…' She recognized as she felt him brush past her with the usual uncaring nature.

Yet she stayed cemented to the spot, ignoring the winds that whipped her cheeks into a light flush, and let her unblinking gaze waver from where he had stood to the road and eventually focusing the grime coating it in potential black ice. 'Dangerous and unseen,' her imagination evaded her grasp as she tried to reign in her mental creations of what could have happened to Sasuke's family.

'Emiko calm down, you barely know the guy,' her senses snapped to and she hastily blinked back the cold induced tears before she turned and hurried to regroup with her friends.

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"Emi-chan!" Naruto waved his hand frantically to capture the girl's attention as she walked onto the school grounds with two other people he couldn't quite recognize. As they walked closer Naruto's eyes widened in recognition of the two following Emiko.

"Leave it to Emiko to pick up strays." Sakura giggled quietly behind her hand. As the definition of each new comer was steadily defined Emiko could hear the happy gasps as the only warning before both Ino and Sakura ran to Emiko.

The others hung back, clearly untrusting of the two that Emiko had brought with her. Seeing their caution Emiko smiled and waved for them to come over, Hinata was the first to obey as she walked quietly towards the group, a small blush was upon her face as she nervously welcomed the two. Sasuke had remained calm and indifferent even under the stares of various girls but as soon as Sakura and Ino rushed forward wearing identical looks of adoration he changed.

'Damn, he's shutting down,' Emiko thought as she noticed Sasuke stop feet away from the group with an irritated change in his features. 'And I was hoping this was going to be easy…' she mused sadly before she turned to Sakura and Ino who watched her with shinning hopeful eyes.

"Why is he here!" Ino was the first to plead, her question prying an audible sigh from the brunette before she turned to motion for Megumi to step closer. The girl oblidged and stepped near to the group.

"First, this is Megumi." Megumi waved shyly, her hazel eyes flitting from person to person until they rested upon Naruto who managed to give her his casual fox grin. Next to her, Emiko felt her relax and followed Megumi's line of sight to see Naruto welcoming her warmly. 'Why can't he be this welcoming to Sasuke,' she took the opportunity to introduce everyone from the group to Megumi. As they began to interact Emiko stepped back to stand before Sasuke.

"They won't bite." She teased in an attempt to hopefully comfort his irritation. Black eyes were directed at her and she concentrated fully into refusing to escape his gaze. A former sense of self-consciousness awoke beneath her skin, its presence spreading like a disease through her veins. Her skin began to prick as heat rose to her face under his gaze, it felt stripping and uncomfortable for her to hold onto someone's gaze for so long and despite the feeling of insecurity circulating dangerously through her mind she clutched to the connection with a fierce desire.

Her conscious tore her eyes as she refused to be so gullible and she crossed her arms, another small smile playing upon her lips. "I promise." Sakura, realizing the two were speaking bounded over to become the third and Ino quickly followed. It wasn't even seconds when Naruto appeared beside the three girls, a sharp glare in his usually cheery blue eyes.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Naruto's obvious suspicion was greeted with indignation. Not by Sasuke who seemed to care less but by his new fan girls who readily jumped to his defense.

"Naruto don't be such an idiot!"

"Yeah baka!"

"You're just jealous!"

Emiko held up her hands to try and catch their attentions but it had no apparent effect as they continued to argue with the blonde.

"ORANGE PEELS!" Immediately they silenced and Emiko let out a low sigh of vexation before she took her chance to speak.

"Orange peels?" sasuke interrupted and Sakura jumped at the moment to speak to him. Her voice was soft and layered in honey, something Emiko guessed she felt for the Uchiha.

"Emiko says that to get everyone's attention." Sakura began to explain and stepped closer to the raven haired teen. Ino, seeing the 'connection' between the two stepped forward and pushed herself into the conversation.

"It's her way of saying that we should all be quiet, to calm down and stuff." Black eyes glanced over their heads to see Emiko standing beside Naruto with a clear amusement dancing in her eyes.

"Sakura, Ino, don't crowd him." Emiko ordered and gradually both of the girls broke away after giving each other warning glances for each step they took back. Sudden chill passed over Emiko and she took a fleeting look over her shoulder to see two unfortunately familiar forms standing behind her.

"That's right, trash, don't touch Sasuke-kun. We don't want one of our friends to get sick because of your germs." Kyoko's whiney voice matched her obnoxious color combination of make up. Lime green eyeliner and lemon colored eye shadow to contrast the black mascara weighing down her eyelashes.

'God, add some red and she'll be a traffic light.' Emiko didn't bother restraining her vindictive thoughts as she released her ruthless sarcasm upon the two in her mind. 'A whorish traffic light.' She added upon further thought.

"You really shouldn't be one to speak of germs. Who knows what kind of disease you're passing around." Emiko retorted sharply. Heavily masked eyes met her with disgust and hatred before Kyoko turned her head to Toya who still had his arm coiled around her protectively.

'It's not like anyone would want her anyway,' Emiko glowered at them. Kyoko was wearing another pair of jeans with slits tearing through the fabric until about her mid thigh. Her knee high socks didn't do much for warmth and Emiko found a sense of amusement as the girl shivered in the cold. Her jacket was hot pink and in small words on the left it read 'baby' in purple rhinestones.

"Sasuke-kun what are you doing with these," Kyoko paused, her nose scrunched in such a way that Emiko thought she resembled a hippie raccoon. "_people_." Venom dripped from the word and Emiko's fist clenched at her side. Beside her Emiko could almost feel Naruto quivering in desire to lunge at the pair and beat them beyond recognition.

It was then Toya noticed Megumi standing happily amongst Hinata, Kiba and Shikamaru who were all talking amongst themselves, their minds cut from the commotion stirring feet away.

"Megumi, you traitor." Toya spat angrily. At the mention of her name Megumi spun only to pale as she saw a furious Toya and disgusted Kyoko. The white haired teen took a step towards her when Emiko appeared between them. Her mismatched eyes hardened into a steely gaze and Toya paused, unnerved by the metal in her eyes although he wouldn't admit it.

"You don't get to pick on anyone." Emiko challenged and with a peek over her shoulder Kiba placed a comforting hand on Megumi's shoulder. Visibly the girl relaxed and Emiko grinned before shooting both of the Uniforms a heated glower.

"Back off Kigurashi. I'm talking to Megumi and Sasuke." Sakura stepped up behind Emiko. Quickly Ino joined her and Naruto, not wanting to be hidden in the background, jumped in front of the small defense line now forming between Megumi and Toya.

"Go away or you'll have to face me!" Naruto exclaimed loudly, his fist raised to reinforce his statement. His eyes were humorless but Emiko could understand Toya's obvious amused skepticism at the loud blonde who was doing his best to express his threat. Had Emiko not known Naruto better she would have been like Toya but she knew that Naruto kept to his word and always followed through. 'It was his way of living.' He had declared once.

Foolishly Toya let out a callous laugh before he attempted to smack Naruto with an effortless slap. 'Wrong move,' Emiko thought to herself before she stepped back. Of course Naruto caught his hand and immediately jumped to action as he twisted it and in a blur of orange Naruto landed a punch squarely into Toya's gut. The man hunched over and a loud growl was audible from his shortened form and Emiko prepared for a retaliation.

"Leave Toko." A shadow crossed in front of Naruto and the blonde stared in a flurry of anger and surprise as Sasuke stood before them, his hand was clasped around Toya's fist halting it's path. A fusion of anger and shock contorted the teen's face before he wrenched his fist from the Uchiha's grip and turned to Kyoko. They wrapped arms around each other's waists and Toya brushed past Naruto and Sasuke to stand before Emiko who readily met his scowl with a fire of her own.

Words failed to explain his hate and repulsion of the brunette standing defiantly before him so he chose to physically take action. Emiko waited, slowly feeling uncertain by the lack of movement of her enemy. As she opened her mouth to speak something struck her face and with sickening realization she staggered to wipe the spit from her cheek.

The nauseating moment passed and the vile feeling was burned away by fury. Fury that compelled her to lunge at him with a newfound level of hell reserved specifically for him. An arm wrapped around her waist yet it didn't do anything to curb her sudden rage.

"Calm down." Sasuke's voice ordered and Emiko gradually felt her fury reduce to a boiling madness barely suppressed from her mouth or fist. Toya and Kyoko both let out sadistic laughter, the desire to kill one of them rising higher as her fist clenched again. "Baka stop." The laughter fell dead as the Uniforms watched the scene. Sasuke was the one restraining Emiko who looked all too willing to kill. As her fingernails dug into her palm Sasuke grabbed her wrist and squeezed it tightly to get his point across.

In grudging stages she released her fist and resigned from her attack against the Uniforms. Although suspicious Sasuke removed his arm from around Emiko once she seemed to be calmed and collected.

"You better leave before I kick your ass!" Naruto threatened angrily and his warning seemed to be shared by everyone in the group. Taking the moment to escape, as it was a rare chance, both Toya and Kyoko and scurried off while trying to maintain their air of superiority although it was difficult once Kyoko stumbled in her heels and landed face first on the ground.

Emiko burst into laughter with the Naruto and quickly felt her anger peel away as she watched the Uniforms scurry away. Realizing what had previously been on her cheek Emiko let out minute squeak and grabbed Naruto's sleeve to clean her face incessantly.

"Hey! Stop it!" Naruto protested as he pulled his jacket from her grip.

"I can't believe he did that." Emiko whined, her anger subsiding beneath her eyes as she tried to brush away the fact of what had passed minutes earlier.

"You looked ready to kill him." Sakura's voice was quiet and Emiko noticed that both of Sasuke's adorers were subdued, standing away alongside each other with an untraceable glaze upon their eyes. Hinata quietly appeared beside Emiko and handed her a tissue which she eagerly used.

"You're so troublesome…" Shikamaru added in a bored tone causing the group to laugh away the stressed atmosphere.

"Come on guys, we have to get to class." Kiba called loudly for the others to join and Emiko herded the group into the school.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Naruto you should really stop that." Emiko muttered, her uninterested voice was rightfully paired with her blank eyes. Her head was rested upon her hand as she stared blankly at the blonde sitting before her.

The abrupt comment snapped him from his sleep and blue eyes opened groggily to the world. Blinks cleared the daze from his eyes and he gradually turned in his chair to look to Emiko with faint confusion.

"You were snoring, dobe." Sasuke spoke from beside the blonde and Emiko chuckled upon seeing the blonde teen's reaction. Less than ecstatic, Naruto opened his mouth to retort angrily but stopped as he noticed the lack of attention from anyone.

He glanced at the brunette behind him and noticed the faraway look in her eyes, her blue and brow eyes were varnished with daydreams as they stared out of the window. Daydreaming seemed to be the national theme as Shikamaru was staring at the ceiling, Kiba was practically asleep on his desk and both Ino and Sakura were watching Sasuke with childhood longing.

"Class," the haze passing over the students seemed to lighten faintly as they began to drag their minds back into the classroom. Sakura released a sigh willingly before finally paying attention to the teacher as she stood before the class.

"Today, as I'm sure many of you have heard, is my last day." In fact no one had heard such a thing but at the lack of reaction, either negative or positive, the teacher decided they had known for long enough that they could contain their sadness. Foolish, but it worked as she smiled brightly and continued on. "Your new teacher will be showing up tomorrow and I trust you'll be civil and welcoming." Little breaks of laughter erupted in different areas of the class

Emiko yawned openly and fought to hide her groan as she noticed the tears welling in the teacher's eyes. 'Oh come on, don't cry, that's just stupid,' she mentally reprimanded the adult. One, for being weak enough to cry and two, for being stupid enough to show her emotion in front of a class of hooligans who really didn't care.

"Now the homework is written on the board," the assignments were listed in clear penmanship upon the chalk board. "Also there will be a project due in a month. You, and a group you are assigned, will research intensely for a job you could possibly want in the future." Emiko's grunt was masked in a sea of noise as the class began to moan in protest.

"I've written the rubric upon the chalkboard and I'm expecting you to come to a mutual decision with your partners before you make your report." On the left side of the chalkboard was a rubric. 'Too expensive to print out copies,' Emiko thought sourly as she flipped open her only notebook to quickly jot down the rubric.

'What would I research…' she thought over her potential jobs of the future. 'Drug dealer, waitress, store clerk, stripper,' the list, to say the least, was far from inspiring for someone who was in danger of never leaving the neighborhood. With a glance into her bag she realized what she wanted to be and with a laugh she sketched the word upon her copied rubric.

**Rubric: **

**Interview with person of chosen career/10 **

**Facts and statistics/20**

**Places to work/5**

**Salary and benefits/10**

**Written paper/40**

**Requirements for job/15**

Photographer, Emiko retraced the word with further ink and leaned forward to catch Naruto's attention.

"What are you thinking about researching?" Emiko asked as she rested her head on her hand and leaned forward to wait calmly for his response.

"Undercover police officer." Naruto declared happily and show cased his make shift rubric. There at the top in Naruto's scrawled writing was the word undercover and Emiko nodded, her eyes admitting her surprise at his choice. She had never doubted he would choose an honest and positive job but she was unsure if he would be able to pull off undercover work amongst drug dealers and gangsters.

"I picked mother." Sakura stepped forward vocally and joined the conversation happily. The surprise at Naruto's choice was erased as she turned to her pink haired friend. 'She must marry someone rich then,' the picture of miniature pink haired girls and boys surrounding Sakura in her neat dress flashed briefly through her mind.

"You might need to be married for that though." Emiko kept her feminist views from her voice and replaced it with a sense of bluntness. At this Sakura blushed but kept firm in her decision.

"I know…" Such statement seemed to contain something shaded from her friends. Emiko's brows knit in bewilderment as Sakura and Ino locked eyes and for a second, it seemed as though their friendship had dissolved in the acid of rivalry and jealousy before they both smiled with sweet innocence.

"We still have to get groups." Mentioning the groups seemed to iron the still happiness from the environment only to fill it with a new sentiment that Emiko couldn't quite identify.

The airs churned and coiled, its tentacles wrapping around each person to instill the poison of confusion and silence amongst the formerly open friends. Sakura and Ino turned from each other, both focusing instead upon their papers with a new determination Emiko hadn't witnessed since their last competition.

Was that it? Emiko's question seemed to be the same as everyone's as they exchanged quiet glances while the two girls continued to scratch words into their papers. 'Are they competing?' the last time the two teenage girls had competed over something it had been finally resolved after months of tense silence between not only the two but everyone surrounding them.

'But last time they fought over a…' a dawn of realization broke into Emiko's eyes as they immediately trained on Sasuke's back. Throughout the conversations both silent and voiced he had remained calm with his fingers laced and his eyes only occasionally glancing at Emiko to make a silent exchange of knowledge. '…a guy…'

'damn…'


	6. Shards of Sizes

**A/n: Heya everyone,**

**I'm uploading a chapter every time I get another written…that's a bad explanation. I mean that I'm uploading 6 because I just finished chapter 8 and I'll upload 7 after I'm done with 9. That way I always keep ahead of the story so I don't fall behind. Anyway, yeah this part can be kind of OOC-ish but I tried to keep it close while showing there is a relationship at least. Emotions. Weeee. Fun fun. **

**What else…oh yeah disclaimer: I don't own Naruto just my OC's. Surprise surprise. **

**Enjoy-shyshi**

"Actions Speak Louder Than Words." 

Metal chains scratched together, squeaking in high protests that rang out into the chilled night air. The noises rippled through like a wave through a blanket and Emiko imagined vibrantly the shifts in the folds of the atmosphere. Her seat swung again, her feet dragging lifelessly along the unearthed mud to break grooves into the ground and wrap her shoes in the heavy mass of wet soil. Her eyes were half lidded and downcast upon the ground before her, a solemn sensation garnishing her body in the pale street lights.

It was late, hours since the group had disbanded and hours behind the moment of truth. In her mind the possibilities of maybes and ifs tormented her mind before cruel factuality reduced her mind to a numb state. Her skin had pricked long ago and in the icy air she felt nothing more than a familiar companion.

"_Ino,"_ Emiko remembered how she had been laughing with Naruto mere seconds before the shadowed voice of Sakura met her ears. Instinctively she had turned to see the two sitting together on a bench. Raising her head Emiko spun in her swing to stare at the bench only a few feet away from the playground but the distance seemed to fall away and stretch before her eyes and she quickly pulled her feet from the ground to allow her power to dwindle as she rocked from side to side.

_"Do you like Sasuke-kun?"_ Surprise was clearly traceable across Ino's face and Emiko had moved her gaze to shield the fact that she was eavesdropping.

"_Yes."_ Ino's reply had been firm but soft and Emiko had heard the sound of someone rising only seconds before Sakura's voice rang out.

"_Then from now on we're rivals." _

'So this is where we are.' Emiko thought the sentence over and over again until it became like a sickening relative who had overstayed their welcome. Her body reacted to the mental anger and began to twist and bind like venomous snakes underneath her skin. Ino and Sakura had both immediately walked in different directions and it wasn't long after that Naruto followed the pink haired girl and the other two followed Ino carelessly. Their choices left Emiko standing in the middle of the sidewalk, alone, her friends dividing in different directions, and her mind torn down its seam with them.

Now, hours later, she was still sitting upon the playground swing, her eyes vacant as she tried to construct a plan from the ruble of her group. How could they break over one guy, one stupid guy? A diminutive scowl crossed her lips and her hoarded anger seemed to unleash at the dark haired trouble.

Half-heartedly Emiko slammed her foot repeatedly onto the ground as she prayed the sudden spectacle of her frustration would fix the problem. Bringing down her foot for the fifth time, the heel of her severely worn out shoe landed upon the upturned broken end of an old beer bottle, slicing straight into her foot. An anguished cry passed her lips as she crumbled back to her seat and pulled her heel into view. Sticking through the heel of her 5 year old shoes was a sickening shard of a beer bottle. Her throat tightened and she lurched at the sight, her senses screamed as she realized the shard had torn through her flesh.

Sickness swept upon her in waves as she fought to keep her calm despite every instinct pleading and crying at her to scream for help. Her mind was swept blank. Should she take it out? What if something vital was damaged? What if she bled to death? Should she scream? She definitely wanted to cry but furiously blinked back the tears swelling in her eyes. The pain was throbbing but it had reduced to a low drumming. She didn't have bandages; she didn't know how to treat it. What if it was infected? She wouldn't be able to walk with it in her foot. Oh god it hurt!

Regardless of her craving tears leaked from her eyes and she speedily brushed them away before she tried to focus on her current problem. The sound of a revving engine passed her ears and she drew in a shuddering breath before glancing into the street to see a dark Jaguar cruising down the street. Had her mind not been so clouded Emiko might have acknowledged the uncommonness at seeing the high ranked car perusing through the mucky streets.

Tiredly her lids wilted, her mind lightening of thoughts as she leaned against the swing's metal chains. Footsteps echoed in her mind and she frowned as the noises exploded painfully in her mind three fold.

"What have you done?" There was no question in his voice and Emiko blinked momentarily to have her eyes focus upon a familiar dark haired problem.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Her fogged mind was still able to retain the spare parts of Emiko's thoughts. As he heard the words Emiko could discern a small smirk upon his face before it was shrouded in shadow. Carefully he crouched down and Emiko felt a gentle hand grasp her ankle as the Uchiha inspected the wound.

"Baka." He muttered and Emiko laughed in a dazed and soft sort of way before she leaned back against the swing's chain to support her head, she was beginning to grow tired and despite the fact that the moment of Sasuke actually seeming to care called for some attention and teasing she couldn't find the words in her mind to speak.

A blast of newfound pain shot through her mind and she let out a censored yell before leaning forward as though to shake the hurt from her mind. Sasuke glanced up and noticed her eyes were shut tightly as she tried to refrain from screaming. With a small sigh of annoyance he removed his watch and frustratingly shoved it in her face. It took a moment for the brunette to register what had happened and she tentatively used the strap as a release for her pain.

"I'm pulling it out." Sasuke declared and consequently felt a hand clutch his shirt sleeve firmly while he tilted her foot enough to examine the wound. He understood silently her pain as his fingers clipped the bottom and sent another jerk of pain throughout her foot. To him it was clear someone had broken the top of a beer bottle off, the round bottom was coated in grime which he consequently scratched away without realizing how the sharp motions would affect her.

Her nails pressed into his skin but he maintained his uncaring nature and grasped the end of the shard with a steady hand before wrenching it from her foot. No noise came from her mouth and Sasuke glimpsed her face to see her lips set in a firm and determined line. Few tears shed down her face but she rashly brushed the traces away.

"I can do it." Emiko managed to insist as she carefully removed her shoe and sock. The wound didn't seem to dangerously deep but Emiko couldn't get a full examination in the dark and the blood quickly drenching her foot didn't help. In a hurry she tried to use her sock as a bandage and began to gingerly wrap her heel.

"Why do you wear such crappy shoes?" Sasuke's voice broke her thoughts and she paused her shaking hands to glance up at the teen that was currently leaning against a tree.

"I'm sorry," she retorted sarcastically before finishing a weak tie. "Next time I go shoe shopping I'll make sure to buy top brand durable ones." The words were laced with a hint of loathing and Emiko adverted her eyes to the ground as the hatred in her voice ebbed at her mind.

'Here he's being nice, in his own way, and I have to be rude.' He seemed to think nothing of it rather and Emiko seized the swing's chain as she stood to her feet. The sock bandage upon her foot seemed to function just enough that she could take careful steps.

"You look like an idiot." Sasuke remarked and Emiko managed a turn to meet his gaze.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." She retorted and twirled on her good heel to continue towards the sidewalk. Sasuke watched with hidden curiosity as she made each step, her eyes were focused in determination and as the street light struck her face Sasuke could make out faint glimmers of tears.

Almost as though she sensed his attention she washed away the tears and continued on. On the sidewalk the blood from her injured heel could be tracked clearly and it seemed the sock was acting as a sponge. And it had reached its maximum as the crimson liquid began to slide down her foot.

"Are you planning on walking the entire way like that?" Once again he chose to speak and she sighed before glancing over her shoulder. Her eyes were slightly clouded and the street lights added another layer of film over her eyes to add to her dazed look. Despite that, she managed a remark in her casual voice.

"Well I left my pony at the house. So yeah I have to walk." The pain had shortened her temper and she desperately craved her bed and some clean wraps for her foot. Worse case scenarios passed through her mind and she felt her vision singe around the ends. 'I have to get home soon… if I faint out here I'm screwed.' Not bothering to wait for a response she returned to her task and continued down the sidewalk towards her house.

Onyx eyes followed her trail and Sasuke's annoyance pricked in his thoughts before he followed quietly after her. After each step Sasuke could notice her determination weakening, her footsteps became less steady and confident and her head bowed forward. He wasn't surprised, not that he would admit if he was. When he'd glimpsed the wound it breathed pain and it was almost 2 in the morning.

Sounds of her yawning drifted back and he halted as she began to hop in place. His brow furrowed in silent confusion until he noticed her sit on the curb and pull her injured foot up. Her fingers delicately peeled away the sock that had been reduced to no more than a blood filled rag. Her other shoe was removed and he watched as she replaced her old 'bandage' with her other sock. Carefully she managed to knot the sock around her heel before she grabbed her shoes and hopped to her feet, er foot.

Her silhouette wavered in the light but minutes later Sasuke watched as Emiko stepped up to her apartment building. She paused before slamming her side into the door and Sasuke glimpsed a victorious smile upon her face before she hobbled in. As the door clicked shut a familiar car horn beeped and the Uchiha turned to see a Jaguar pull up beside him.

"Hey Sasuke, where'd you run off to?" Sitting comfortable in the car were some of his fellow students from Gideon who had dragged him into the neighborhood for some nighttime 'fun'. Sasuke wouldn't call them friends but he rarely, if ever, called anyone a friend.

"We lost ya after we finished trashing that whore's car." The driver leaned over to speak to him but Sasuke ignored his question.

"Hn." Without any real explanation Sasuke took his seat in the back and returned to his copy righted state of watching out the window, without a flicker of life in his black eyes.

**A/n: P.S! If anyone wants to guess at why I named this story Iris I'll think of some kind of prize for whoever gets it right. Even if 23 people get it right I'll get a prize for each of ya . And guesses are welcome at any time so don't worry about a deadline. Yep…I'll be leaving now. **


	7. Impressions

**A/n: Heya,**

**I kind of like posting Author Notes…yeah so…this is where at least one character from the manga is introduced although s/he won't be around forever. I'm going to take parts of the manga and adapt them for this story. Change some things up but if you look you can see some similarities besides obvious ones. . **

**Enjoy**

**-shyshi**

"WHERE IS HE!"

"Naruto shut up!"

"Dobe."

"SHUT UP!"

"Naruto don't talk that way to Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto resigned to fuming angrily in his seat, arms folded across his chest as he glared at the wall before him. It had been a week since Ino and Sakura had broken their friendship and the group was slowly falling to sides despite the best attempts.

It was Friday and Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were the only ones left in the classroom. The day before they had been assigned groups and Sakura had taken the initiative of arranging a meeting the next day with an undercover police officer.

Sasuke had been silent the entire time, refusing to utter more than a word to the pair and Naruto had refused to shut up. Since it wouldn't be possible to research Sakura's dream future and Sasuke wouldn't speak of his they had been forced to choose Naruto's.

So there they were, 3 hours after the designated meeting time and still waiting for the cop to show up.

"Sakrua are you sure he said he would meet you at one?" Naruto broke his silence of anger and looked to his classmate who nodded fervently.

"Yes!" She insisted heartily before she sat in her seat, her lips pressed into a pout. Naruto watched as her green eyes flipped to the person in the room who had stayed silent for the last hour. 'I wish we could have gotten someone else.' Naruto thought to himself and he found his thoughts listing over the people he would prefer to replace the Uchiha.

'Emi-chan would've been fun.' He thought before he remembered the group Emiko had been placed with. Toya and Megumi. At the memory of the jerk Naruto made a disgusted voice, his nose scrunched to express his dislike. Emiko's reaction had been practically the same thing. Coupled with a loud yell of protest, of course. It was then they're new teacher had explained the reasoning behind the groups. To equal everyone's abilities. Yay.

A clear and audible groan came from Naruto before he allowed his head to crash onto his desk. 'I should think of a prank,' he sniggered at the thought and began to contemplate ideas of how to get back at the late cop. Before any could be put into action he heard the door slide open and eagerly glanced up to see an adult walk into the classroom.

He was tall and lanky; he wore a simple long sleeve shirt with a vest over top and a pair of baggy pants. Had it not been for his badge clasped onto his pant's waist he wouldn't have figured him for a cop. He wore a headband that was hanging crooked to cover one eye and a small mask covered his nose and mouth. Silver hair leaned sideways and Naruto thought he looked rather lazy.

'Or high…' Naruto thought to himself before he looked to Sakura who seemed to be thinking along the same line.

"Are you the kids I've been told to talk to?" He asked and Sakura nodded quietly.

"Hai." Naruto added eagerly.

"I'm Hatake Kakashi." He sighed and scratched the side of his head in a lazy manner. "What am I talking to you about?"

Sakura began to speak up and the attention turned to her for answers. "I spoke with your boss, uh she said we were able to interview you about your job." Taking the chance to speak Naruto took his turn to speak up, loudly.

"Can we ride in your cop car!" Kakashi's single eye turned to Naruto before he spoke.

"My first impression…you're annoying."

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Down the street another group descended from a city bus and watched as it drove away in a cloud of smoke. Megumi stepped up to stand beside Emiko, her buckle high heel shoes softly tapping at the cement sidewalk. Toya turned to the pair of them and with a malevolent glare he walked to his BMW parked a block away.

"We still have to work on the actual project!" Emiko yelled after him but he refused to turn and she heard the sound of his car engine grumbling to life before he drove away. Emiko let out an annoyed growl before she turned on her feet and began to walk in the opposite direction. Megumi turned to see her wince and grabbed the opportunity. For about a week Emiko had been quiet and Megumi wasn't the only one who had noticed the girl's new way of walking where she walked on the front of one foot.

"Emiko, what did you do to your foot?" Megumi hurried to the brunette's side and easily fell into step beside her.

"Hurt it." She replied with a strained laugh. It seemed she wasn't eager to tell the story and it only intrigued Megumi further.

"How?" She asked patiently and Emiko paused, her hand grasping a light post for support and Megumi only watched in confusion as she leaned against the pole, her forehead grazing against the metal. Her knuckles paled and Megumi could hear, faintly, the sounds of nails scrapping against the metal.

"Stepped on some glass." Emiko's eyes closed and her face became serene, something that Megumi hadn't seen often. She often was laughing and Megumi had rarely glimpsed past her happy nature to see her simply content. The edges of her lips turned up but before Megumi could admire the new insight Emiko was grinning goofily.

"It's okay though, I cleaned it. It just twinges a bit so I try to not walk on it." Emiko released her grasp on the light post and still grinning happily she began to walk down the sidewalk.

Megumi watched her form strive on and felt a sense of…well she wasn't sure what. As she stared at Emiko's back she wondered how much Emiko showed of herself. Granted she was a sincere and open person but, there were times, when she was pained that brought into sharp relief the sense of doubt her friends felt. Like, she was floating beneath a surface and they only caught glimpses of the being beneath the water. They felt cut off. Naruto had mentioned it once but it had been brushed from the conversation. Steps were taken to follow Emiko and Megumi stayed paces behind the girl, her quizzical thoughts of her friend still swirling about her head.

It was only when a blur of orange crashed into them did Megumi blink away her reservations to greet the newcomer.

"Oi, Naruto." Emiko smiled and ruffled the blonde's hair causing a look of mock annoyance to flash over his face. Emiko merely laughed and continued the conversation. "How's your project going?" At the mention baby blue eyes brightened and Naruto grabbed both of their wrists to pull them towards a car.

"It's awesome!" Inside the car two silhouettes could be discerned and as they neared Emiko noticed that it was the rest of Naruto's group.

"Konnichiwa Sakura, Uchiha." The pink haired girl jumped from surprise but quickly blushed and managed a small wave and smile. "Where's the cop you're supposed to be talking to?" Emiko rested against a pole and felt the welcomed chill of the pole against her heated head. It was only temporary but Emiko was grateful for the feeling. Her mind had been scattered and clouded lately, paired with a cold she seemed to be catching that was causing her to have a fever and it seemed as though it was far from being a good week.

"Yeah he got a sudden call and so we're waiting." At this Emiko couldn't help but laugh. She regretted it as it turned to a short cough but she strangled it in her throat. Under the suspicious gazes she grinned and waved her hand lazily.

"Cold." She declared carelessly and switched her gaze to Naruto. "So you're actually waiting?" She joked, moving her head to a different position to hopefully find a new cold spot.

At the comment Naruto stuck out his tongue before Sakura spoke up. "It's too dangerous, even Naruto knows that." It seemed as though she was making sure he knew it and Emiko noticed the pointed emerald glare.

Just as Emiko would have predicted Naruto turned his nose up and his arms crossed over his chest to express his disapproval at the statement. "I could handle it!" When the words dropped to the ground the sound of breaking glass shattered through the air and Emiko instinctively covered her head as the shards of glass rained upon the teenagers.

"That's where Kakashi-san is!" Sakura shrieked as she pointed at the apartment that was now windowless. Emiko picked glass from Megumi's thick hair and turned to Sakura who seemed shaken by the incident.

"I'm gonna go help!" Naruto yelled and Emiko felt his jacket slip through her fingers as he raced into the apartment building. Her mind spun, the thoughts crashing and melding together while her vision's edges singed into black. 'Damn.' Her will pressed forward and she blinked it away before turning to Megumi and the others.

"What was whatever his name going in there for?" She commanded and Sasuke spoke up in his usual monotone voice.

"A drug dealer. He's been an assassin a few times by creating drugs that are lethal and disappear after the person's dead. They though this was where him and his partner were working and creating the drug for selling." Megumi's eyes widened at the explanation but felt a sudden sweep of wind pass her. She turned and watched in horror as Emiko followed Naruto into the apartment building.


	8. Of Mist and Needles

**A/n: Gah I hate this chapter…I'm loosing my ability to write action/semi-action. It's aggravating…**

"When it comes to the pinch, human beings are heroic."-George Orwell

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"NARUTO!" Emiko yelled, all pretense of stealth abandoning from her mind and she hurriedly raced up the cracked stairs toward the source of the commotion. "NARUTO!" She screamed as she heard her friend's voice ring through the hallways.

"I'm here! The hero always arrives at the last minute!" 'Damn him!' she mentally screamed and clenched the railing while the staircase swayed beneath her heavy footsteps. Behind her there sounded more echoes of footsteps and shouts but she couldn't afford the luxury of pausing for whoever was following her.

Sinful mirth rang throughout the hall as Emiko stumbled onto the correct floor. Her heel screamed against the pain but she shoved it aside and ran towards the laughter now circling in her ears. 'He has to get out of there.' Emiko believed as she reached for the handle. As her fingertips grazed the knob Emiko felt her stomach lurch. Screaming wavered beyond the door.

'Naruto…' her eyes widened and she grasped like a drunken person for the door. Suddenly her body heaved back and she struggled against the person now holding her back. The handle's distance seemed to multiply forever and the sound of pain emanating from the room follow suit in her mind.

"No! Let me go! I have to help him!" She clawed at the arms pulling her away from the door. The sounds abruptly stopped and Emiko did as well, her eyes gazing at the door while her imagination played upon her fear and worst case scenario scenes flashed in her head.

"Barging in there isn't going to help anything." Emiko tilted her head to see Sasuke restraining her, his grip gradually lessening on her as she seemed to calm. Right as they both calmed Sakura and Megumi reached the floor, both panting and holding to the railing in an attempt to catch their breath. Sakura watched the two and opened her mouth to speak when Megumi covered it and shook her head, a small smile on her face.

It disappeared though as the door blasted from its hinges and Megumi watched as the pair was slammed into the railing. Her heart clenched and she began to run towards the two as the railing began to crack under the pressure of the two along with the door.

Emiko coughed, cringing while she felt the door handle successfully being a nuisance as it dug into her side. Her nails dug into the wood and she carefully jostled it off of herself and Sasuke. He sat up as though nothing had happened and turned to gaze through the doorframe into the room.

Smoke misted through the room but Emiko could faintly detect the forms of four people. It was a struggle as they continued to clash, almost melding into new forms as they wrestled around the room.

'Damn, they're moving too fast…' Emiko turned to Sakura and gingerly stood, her heel stung sharply as she was now unfortunately calm enough that her pain wasn't so easily erased.

Part of her was desperate to jump in and help while another part screamed for reason. These were criminals and she was an average teenage girl with no extraordinary fighting abilities. Before a compromise or decision could be reached a flurry of orange shot through the door frame and Naruto skidded to a stop in front of them.

"Are you going to just stand there!" Naruto readily jumped to his feet.

"Naruto, we don't know what's going on in there. And Kakashi-san is a police officer I'm sure-" Sakura was interrupted when Naruto bounded up to the group of teens, his blue eyes wide in a mix of adrenaline, desperation and delayed pain reaction.

"He lost his gun! We have to help!" Emiko nodded resolutely and glanced briefly at the others before she raced to the doorway.

"Sakura, get me the door. Megumi can you help?" Emiko's mind worked almost at a painful pace as she frantically tried to think of a strategy while Naruto distracted those inside with his wild antics.

'His yelling and careless fighting won't last long though,' Emiko thought as Sakura, Megumi and she each held onto a side of the broken door. It was their new weapon. They rushed in recklessly, swinging the door from side to side to hopefully catch at least one of the criminals off guard.

With a satisfying crack Emiko felt the jolt as they managed to smack Naruto's opponent in the back. The figure stumbled a few paces and Naruto lunged at the opportunity. The blonde quickly jumped at the figure and continued to punch and kick with ferocity Emiko hadn't ever seen of him.

Sakura let out a short shriek and Emiko turned in time to see a man looming over them. As he neared them his features came into sharper focus and Emiko noticed he wore simple clothes. It wasn't until his face was in view did she understand why the cop had such trouble with him.

Tattoos covered his face, from his chin to the bridge of his nose. Emiko secretly wish the snake tattooed coiling around his face had been real. 'Choke him,' she thought for a second before she dropped to the ground and pushed away from him to appear on the other side of the door with Megumi and Sakura who both looked rooted to the spot in terror.

A malicious smirk spread the man's face, the cruel amusement failing to reach his eyes which remained almost demon like. As his smirk widened Emiko couldn't help but feel agitated, here she was with another stupid smirking jerk and all she was doing was standing.

'As if,' she growled and vanished from view before she appeared behind the man. Before she could attack the man spun and Emiko flew backwards as his foot collided with her stomach. She clutched her stomach and her eyes closed as she tried to ignore the pain. 'This is what I get …' she coughed harshly but pushed herself to her feet. As her gaze moved she noticed the absence of the man. Nerves pricked and she felt her senses rocket. Something moved and her ears immediately moved to pinpoint the small sound. Moving furiously her mind realized the sound was coming from behind her and she spun in time to see the man standing behind her, smirking sadistically as he slashed at her. She dropped to the ground in a crouched position.

'What are those things Yukito taught me…' she furious ticked through the list of attacks her brother had taught her years ago. Her time was cut short as Zabuza lunged at her, his attacks were almost too fast to see and she relied on purely jumping away and dodging to avoid the force.

Suddenly the man lurched forward, his eyes wide as he tilted on his feet like a swaying statue. Behind him Emiko glimpsed a tuft of silver hair and she released a shallow breath.

"Zabuza, this is over." Kakashi's voice was clearly audible and Emiko staggered away from the scene. Naruto and his opponent had both stopped fighting, it was then Emiko noticed that Sasuke had finally entered the fight with Naruto. He looked beaten but too proud to admit his wounds as he stood tall despite the gashes and bruises.

Emiko took the moment to fleetingly glance over both Naruto and Sasuke's opponent and felt a spark of shock. 'It's a woman!' She thought loudly. Her features were youthful and young and she didn't seem much older than Emiko. Make-up delicately masked her face.

The click of a gun dragged her attention back to Zabuza and Kakashi. Kakashi stood behind the man, his gun cocked and aimed at the man's head. Despite Zabuza's exterior of pure strength and cruelty it seemed he was unwilling to be shot as he stood still.

'He's actually going to give up?' Emiko wondered but paused as she looked between Zabuza and his female partner. In a flash the woman pulled something from the folds of her outfit and Emiko almost fainted as she saw the needle. Kakashi paused, his visible eye shifting between the two before he pushed the gun further against Zabuza's head.

"Give up Zabuza it's over." He warned only causing the man to laugh heartlessly.

"So, you can see the future now?" He taunted despite the gun's order to be silent.

"Yes and if you move you're going to die." The calmness in Kakashi's voice as he spoke sent a wave of anxiety though the room.

"Naruto," The woman spoke softly and the blonde turned to her. Emiko switched her gaze and watched them, catching Sasuke's gaze briefly before the woman spoke again. "If it furthers Zabuza-san's dreams…I will." The underlying message was shrouded to all except Sasuke, Naruto and the woman. Naruto's blue eyes widened in honest surprise and his mouth hung slightly ajar before anger swelled into his face. Emiko's gaze turned to the weapon now lying dormant in the woman's hand and she realized it was a medical needle. Her stomach churned and she felt queasiness passing through her as she stared at the sickening yellow green color liquid residing inside the needle.

'Why needles,' of all Emiko's fears, age, insects, spiders, dentists, paper cuts, the dark, being alone or forgotten, death and needles, needles were in the top three. The thought of being in the same room made her yearn to be on the other side of the world.

"Bu-" Naruto's yell was drowned out as Sasuke rushed forward, mimicking the woman as she raced at them. They clashed for a second and Emiko's mind was scratched clean as she saw, as they pulled away, the needle jutting from the Uchiha's chest. He stumbled back and Sakura screamed. The shriek echoed through the room and Emiko felt a rush of wind as Zabuza attempted to run.

Bang!

**A/n And now you know why I detest it so…**


	9. Bracelet Buddies

**A/n: Heya, **

**Another chapter. Yay. Partay…..lively… I kind of like this chapter (at least more than Chapter 8) I had to rewrite that thing three times because of the action part I wasn't sure how it was supposed to go. I still don't like it all that much but it suffices. **

**I love the quote I laughed so hard when I read it. Granted it doesn't really have anything to do with the chapter but it's still awesome. Maybe at the end of the chapter I'll post a better more meaningful quote. (Although this quote is pretty meaningful…okay maybe not Aristotle but it's still awesome!)**

**Anywho, Enjoy**

**-shyshi**

"Don't steal. The government doesn't like competition." -Anonymous

Sirens. Cars. Ambulances. The street was crowded with fellow police officers, ambulances and of course news reporters. News of the fight between police, the notorious drug dealer hit man, his partner and a couple of kids was creating a tsunami of problems and Emiko could barely keep her eyes open as the sirens continued to scream into her ear.

About a block away she glimpsed a news reporter; her outfit was neatly pressed and cleaned while she re-applied her make up before the camera would flick back to her. Her gaze turned to her hands and she noticed they were continuing to shake as she tried to steady herself.

Tightly fastened around her wrist rested a shiny silver handcuff. As she attempted to pull on her latch she felt the metal grind into her skin and she stopped with a sigh. The matching bracelet was locked around a metal stop sign pole and she silently commended Kakashi for his stealth and creativity.

_Time paused maliciously and Emiko watched as the woman slowly dropped to the ground, her eyes steadily glazing over as she collapsed to the floor. Zabuza let out a harsh laugh and Emiko dropped to the ground with Sakura and the others as they saw the man pull a shotgun from the shelf. _

"_Seems you were wrong." The man declared with a twisted smile upon his face as he looked to the woman. For a second remorse seemed to flicker through his face but it fled before she could confirm and she felt her eyes unwillingly focus on the gun in Zabuza's hand. Before another word was spoken another shot rang out and Emiko covered her head as glass shattered. _

_Taking a chance Emiko looked to see Zabuza, his shirt now quickly becoming dyed red, standing before a broken window. Her mismatched eyes drifted to Kakashi who was standing still with a grim look upon his features. His hand still held his gun and he kept it aimed at the criminal who swayed forward towards Kakashi. The silver haired man's trigger finger twitched but he paused as he saw Zabuza drop to the floor beside his partner. _

_Thoughts never entered her mind as she watched Zabuza carefully trace the woman's face. _

"_He was too nice…Haku," _

'_HE!' Emiko screamed mentally and her eyes widened as she slowly began to realize it was in fact a man. 'Wha…' Zabuza closed his eyes and the group watched as his blood slowly seeped to the floor. Naruto turned his head away and stared angrily at the ground. _

"_Don't." Kakashi spoke and the blonde blinked before turning to see Kakashi respectively closing Haku's eyes. His eye rose to the group of kids who had willingly stepped in to help. Wide, scarred eyes stared back and he let out a small sigh. His mouth opened to speak when Sakura screamed. _

_Emiko wildly spun to face the girl but found her emerald gaze elsewhere. Emiko followed her lead and felt her stomach tighten as she found herself staring at a lifeless body. Clad in dark blue and white. 'Sasuke…' _

Thinking of the Uchiha Emiko found herself searching the commotion until she found the ambulance. Its lights continued to blink and it's wailing continued through the air but she didn't care as she strained to see into the belly of the ambulance.

A flash of dark hair caught her eyes and she stood to get a closer look. The few inches she moved didn't help and the people working frantically inside the vehicle didn't help as they eclipsed her view.

'Sasuke no baka.' She thought half heartedly as she resigned to the small, handcuff caused confinement. 'It's his fault I'm even stuck to this thing.' She smacked the metal pole to vent a frustration but found herself with even more as her hand stitched painfully.

_The backup Kakashi had called for initially after he had entered the apartment after Zabuza was beginning to arrive and he felt a sense of resentment at their late arrival. Now he had 2 dead and 5 teenagers on his hand, one barely clinging to life and the others battered in varying degrees. _

'_Although they did help,' he thought but pushed the fact away as he saw the ambulance drive into view. He turned to the group and motioned for them to separate. As they broke away Sasuke was unearthed and Kakashi easily scooped the boy into his arms. Sakura rushed forward, tears were welling in her green eyes and she stayed close to the unconscious teen. _

_Her hand reached tentatively for the raven locks as she began to pet his head. Something Kakashi was sure the teen would immediately disapprove of but nothing something he was going to try and stop. As the ambulance pulled up Kakashi strode up to the opening back doors and immediately pushed him into the waiting arms._

"_Poison, Zabuza's specialty. Treat it like Kuro Acid." He ordered and the EMT's set to work. Sakura stepped away quietly and her hand rushed to her mouth before she fled back to the sidewalk. Megumi waited with open, comforting arms and held her as she cried. _

_Kakashi's gaze rested on Emiko who sat stonily on the steps. Her arms rested on her knees and her hands were clasped in front and she stared into the distance. Brown tresses fell into her face and her ponytail was barely alive with most of the tendrils of brown twisting out to fall in a mess around her head. _

"_Emi-chan." Naruto was resting beside her, his blue eyes shone of concern as he tried to steal his friend's attention. Silence followed and despite the blonde's best attempts she seemed unwilling to speak or even respond. Her blue and brown eyes drifted in and out of focus. _

_Suddenly Emiko blinked and her eyes came into a sharp focus of vivacity and she stood, swaying only for a moment to adjust to her strained muscles and sudden onset of nausea. Her eyes trained on the ambulance and she quickly managed to hobble her way to the back. _

"_What are you doing?" Kakashi's voice rang in her mind and she tilted her head to look at the cop. A slip of cover passed over her eyes for a moment but it went unnoticed as she took another weak step towards the Uchiha. _

"_I'm going to go and yell at him for being a jerk." She answered honestly, a light haze in her voice. Her mind twirled and motion sickness came in small tides as she stood still. Her vision fringed in black but she fought it back and steadily dismissed the feeling of numb weakness in her legs._

"_Not now." Kakashi ordered but Emiko feigned abrupt deafness as she continued to walk towards the ambulance, intent on making sure Sasuke never did something so stupid again. _

So, now there she was, hand cuffed to a stop sign. 'Maybe it's a metaphor,' she joked weakly, a small fraction of a laugh rising to her lips. Heat rose in her head and she felt steam clog her mind.

"I don't feel good…" she whined and rested her head against the cold metal, grateful for the brief respite it provided. Out of the past came an old habit and Emiko began to bite at her pinkie nail despite her mind's protests. It had taken 3 months before Emiko could kick her habit and now it came back as though second nature.

"Excuse me." Heels tapped to a stop and Emiko cocked her head just enough to glance up at the news reporter standing next to her smiling like a high quality Barbie doll. "Are you one of the criminals?" Her sweet tone couldn't drizzle enough honey over the words and Emiko tried desperately to stand only to find her bracelet leash stuck, preventing her from going rising to her feet. So she resigned to simple glaring at the woman and sending her mental insults.

"Iie. I'm not." She stated monotonously as the woman began to step away, motioning for the camera man to stop filming. At this the reporter turned back, her smile once again in place as she bent down shove the microphone in Emiko's face.

"What are you doing here?" She drawled and sarcastic comments flew through Emiko's mind. A few of the more amusing ones included Santa Clause, a boiled egg and a broken computer keyboard.

"Emi-chan!" Naruto's bold voice broke through and Emiko turned away from the reporter, grateful for the disturbance. The blonde appeared beside her and she noticed his mouth twitch as he saw Emiko's new bracelet.

"I and the pole are bracelet buddies." Emiko stated sarcastically, with a light swing of her wrist. Naruto couldn't hold it in and burst into laughter at her predicament. Not one to enjoy being laughed at, Emiko swiftly kicked the blonde in his leg. That shut him up.

"Owie!" Naruto complained in a high pitched voice before slumping next to Emiko on the curb.

"And who are you? Are you her boyfriend?" At the last question Emiko felt heat rise to her face. Not from embarrassment really but from anger at the prying woman and her obvious gossipy nature as she turned to gush to the camera about young love in the slums.

"NANI!" Naruto flushed but Emiko made no comment about it as she waved to get the woman's attention. Still the reporter ignored her, still speaking to whoever was at the station about what was going on and adding tidbits about how young love flourished amongst all the criminals.

"HEY!" This the woman couldn't ignore and she angrily turned on her expensive heel to glare at Emiko.

"Hai?" She snapped. Her candy voice disappeared in a wisp of smoke. Emiko once again attempted to stand but found the handcuff still stuck around the metal pole. Noticing that Emiko was preoccupied the woman turned back around and continued her report, continuing to lay a thick layer of sweetness to her voice that made Emiko practically want to gag. Naruto finally shook to his senses and watched Emiko struggle in vain with the handcuff.

"Oh yeah…" He paused and ruffled through his jacket pocket before pulling out a small ring of keys. Emiko instantly stopped and her eyes narrowed as she looked at the keys.

"Naruto are those the keys to unlock these handcuffs?" She asked. Her voice had dropped an octave causing Naruto to be slightly unnerved. He nodded none the less and Emiko smacked him on the back of the head.

"Naruto no baka! How long have you had the keys!" Emiko yelled. Her frustration at the female reporter and her inability to confront the woman because of her restrains was taken out upon the key carrier who was ironically trying to free her.

Her hand flew to her wrist as she felt freedom graze her wrist. Naruto finished unlocking the handcuffs and chuckled mischievously as he continued to fiddle with the contraptions. Unsurprisingly he managed to lock himself into the cuffs and found himself with the keys in his mouth as he tried to undo the locks.

"Hey!" Emiko knew she had the woman's attention as she stopped shortly.

"What is it!" The woman demanded, ignoring the camera still broadcasting and turning to the young teen with an evil glint in her eyes.

"Stop lying about me and Naruto. And stop being all gossipy! That's not what a reporter is supposed to be! A drug dealer _and_ hit-man was shot and killed along with his partner and here you are talking about love in the slums." As the last word left Emiko's mouth her anger dissipated and she was left with a deflated balloon that had once held her courage. 'Crap…'

Distantly she could hear Naruto cheering but she didn't waste time and instantly fled away from the reporter who looked both shocked and furious.

"The public have an insatiable curiosity to know everything. Except what is worth knowing. Journalism, conscious of this, and having tradesman-like habits, supplies their demands." -Oscar Wilde


	10. Physicality

**A/n: This is to Sailor Luna8692 and heavenlydemonxXxo. Hehe I got reviewers. Yay. Anyway, enjoy**

**-shyshi**

"But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world."-C.S. Lewis

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A swell of sickness ploughed into her stomach, forcing her to stop just on the other side of the ambulance, police cars and reporters. Emiko doubled over and clutched her stomach. Needles laced in acid seemed to weave through her stomach, tightening the organ into an acidic ball of mess.

Her fingers shook and she clutched her jacket to hopefully stop. Her eyes were closed to the world but the sounds continued to slam into her head, causing her ears to ring and her head to pound painfully. She didn't even remember falling to her knees but submitted regardless, the stings of the gravel and dirt digging into her knees couldn't even reach the registry of pain in her mind as floods of agony crowded her attention.

Bit by bit it seemed as though the pain was slowly withdrawing. Blinking her eyes open Emiko looked around to see that luckily no one had noticed. Black body bags were being escorted from the apartment and all attention was upon the opened portions, just enough to keep the corpse's faces visible for the cameras. As they were set on stretchers Emiko watched as though in slow motion Kakashi stepped forward and zipped up the last of the bags to shield the faces from all the gazes.

Cautiously Emiko raised a knee and began to stand. 'So far…' she kept wondering what was causing such pain and gently rested her injured foot upon the ground. Her hand reached the cool flat surface of the ambulance and she leaned against the side of the vehicle, only faintly aware of the rumbling engine.

"What are you doing?" Someone shouted and Emiko felt someone hurry to her side. Slowly she opened her eyes and turned to see a young man standing beside her, his frown disappearing as she lifted her tired gaze to his. His arms were crossed but by his outfit it was clear he was an EMT.

He looked no older than 24, his chocolate brown eyes were flecked with honey color seemed to warm a little as she turned her attention to him. Under his hat Emiko could glance short, spiked black hair, only a small section of bangs were grown to chin length to eclipse one eye.

"Sumimasen…" Emiko muttered and peeled away from the side of the ambulance.

"Nah it's okay," His previously stern voice was forgotten as brown eyes watched her with humored curiosity. "I just didn't expect to see someone sleeping against it." He explained and Emiko took her chance to correct him, her lips faintly upturned as she fell into a sense of comfort at his presence.

"I was resting." Her tone was light and the man nodded, a small chuckle escaping his lips at how she had sounded.

"I'm Nagasaki Oshito." He introduced himself politely.

"Kigurashi Emiko." Emiko replied quietly, her eyelids sliding closed before she jerked herself away. Oshito laughed good naturedly at the sight. Emiko allowed the laughter to continue as she dwelled in her thoughts. Nagasaki…

'Wait a minute…' The recognition fell upon her like a bag of bricks and Oshito pasued as he noticed her lookt o him sharply, her eyes shinning as she stared at him.

"Nagasaki? Are you related to Nagasaki Megumi!" A tint of excitement swelled in her voice and she couldn't help but smile as he nodded heartily.

"My little sister." He explained calmly. It became his turn to ask questions and he wondered how the girl knew his little sister. "How do you know her?"

"I'm friends with her. She's going to my school right now." Emiko's previous tire had apparently fallen away as she was excited to meet someone related to Megumi. He opened his mouth when someone noisily pounded the side of the vehicle.

"Come on Oshito, we need to get to the hospital." A young woman's voice yelled from inside the ambulance.

"Hai!" Oshito replied just as loudly and Emiko watched as he moved to the drivers seat. Emiko followed for a step before hurrying to the back of the ambulance. Her hand caught the door inches before it snapped shut and she firmly pried it open.

"I'm coming." She declared and stepped into the ambulance.

"Are you the girlfriend or relative?" A woman asked and before reason had its chance Emiko nodded resolutely. Seeing her determination they allowed her inside before snapping shut the door and signaling for Oshito to drive to the hospital.

The ambulance growled to life, and Emiko took a seat quickly and quietly. Her eyes watched the EMT's for a second before they trailed to the unconscious Sasuke. A somber look crossed her face as she noticed his condition, cuts and bruises visible lined his arms and his skin was taking a lighter pallor with each second.

His face was covered with an air mask and despite her best attempts Emiko couldn't help but observe the needles embedded in his skin to provide him with whatever medical stuff he needed. Emiko wasn't one to ask about anything medical unless it was how to avoid a shot.

'Why didn't they leave earlier!' Emiko demanded in her mind as she watched Sasuke intently. 'If he dies…'

"Don't worry. It's a natural reaction to the antibiotics that he becomes paler. He's actually getting better. By the time we reach the hospital he should be conscious." The female EMT assured the brunette upon seeing the emotions flickering in her eyes. Emiko grabbed a small breath before closing her eyes to calm herself, her fingers released her seat and she felt them shake from the sudden reprieve of stress.

'Aw damn!' She abruptly adverted her gaze and stared at the other side of the ambulance, her eyes desperately trying to unfocus so she wouldn't be forced to aknowledge the cabinet full of needles she was staring at. 'I hope he's in a good mood when he wakes up…this is a small ambulance.'

**A/n: Yeah so sorry for any mistakes I've never been in an ambulance. Heck I've never been to the hospital so it'll be based off perceptions of shows and what people tell me. Hope you enjoyed. . And a belated thank you to heavenlydemonxXxo (check her story out it's good and the character isn't a mary sue. At least I don't think so.)**

**-shyshi**


	11. Questions of actions

**Heya,**

**Man, my chapters are getting shorter…It's kind of worrying me so although I had a planned ending spot for this chapter I'm going to ignore it and add some more stuff. Enjoy!**

**-shyshi**

**p.s. if there's something you don't like or that needs improvement message me/review. That way I can become a better writer. Arigatou**

"Our envy of others devours us most of all" –Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Who knew a hospital could be so boring. The waiting room was filled with magazines, newspapers, couches, chairs, food, drink and a television so naturally Emiko was sitting upside down in her chair, bored to the brink of suicide.

The sanitary white walls of the hospital were luckily rejected for the waiting room as the walls were painted a dark blue color. A large window opened to the sky and Emiko sighed as the last of the sunlight faded away. Her body ached and pain spread through her limbs but she ignored it, taking it to mean that she was just defective and continued to play with her hair.

"Emiko?" The teen sat up sharply, a bad idea as she felt her mind pounded from the sudden blood rush. Standing in the doorway was Sakura and Emiko quickly motioned for her to join the festivities. Sakura sat nervously in a chair and Emiko let out a small sigh as she realized the pink haired girl was going to be silent.

"Are the others coming?" She tried to start conversation as she moved to sit cross-leged on the couch.

"Hai. Naruto, Megumi, Kakashi-san and Ino-pig." Emiko winced at the new nickname for the blonde female. Sakura either didn't notice or refused to speak on the matter as she returned to her silent state.

'Oh come on!' Emiko thought rashly before she moved her attention to the television screen. It was a celebrity show, something about sex and a divorce. 'Shocking,' Emiko thought sarcastically as she watched a tearful celebrity confess that she was unable to continue the marriage to her famous husband because of "irreconcilable differences". Irreconcilable differences meaning the husband was unwilling to reconcile after her affair.

"Emi-chan!" Naruto's welcomed voice broke Emiko's thoughts and she eagerly turned to see the blonde jogging towards her and Sakura. 'He's rather happy considering he's in a hospital.' Emiko mused to herself but none the less smiled as Naruto and Megumi joined them in the waiting room.

"Isn't Ino-"

"Hai, but she left to try and get the room number to visit him by herself." Naruto explained quickly. Emiko noticed the drop in his voice and the way his eyes shot towards Sakura as he tried to keep it from the green-eyed girl.

Unfortunately it seemed he hadn't stayed quiet enough as Sakura burst to her feet and dashed from the waiting room. Emiko paused, her mouth slightly ajar as she glanced between the two newcomers and the spot where Sakura had stood moments ago.

"Uh…"

"How did you get here?" Megumi asked innocently as she sat calmly in a chair. Her hazel eyes bore quietly upon the brunette and she shifted in her seat.

"Uh…I rode in the ambulance." Her desire to lie almost overpowered her words but she managed to press out the truth. Megumi nodded, a small smile tracing her lips.

"Oh! I met your brother." Emiko informed her, grinning in her usual joking manner. "How old is he?"

"Oh, Oshito-nii-san? He's 23." Megumi replied. Emiko nodded before she felt something thump next to her and she turned to see Naruto resting comfortable on the couch, legs crossed and arms filled with food. Emiko spared him a flat glance and instead grabbed a chocolate bar causing him to whine for a moment before he found his mouth blocked by a bag of potato chips.

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"Are you six here to see Uchiha Sasuke?" A nurse stepped in and the group gazed at her. Both Sakura and Ino had been turned away and forced to come back to the waiting room where they spent their time talking with anyone but their rival and shooting glares at each other. Kakashi had arrived 2 hours later with a collection of take out food for the teens and they each readily took the offering.

"Hai." Sakura spoke first, her voice slightly strained with eagerness and anticipation. Emiko paused, her chopsticks poised holding a piece of suishi as she waited for the update.

"He's awake and able to move around." The nurse stated calmly. "He consented to seeing someone before he leaves." At this both of Sasuke's fangirls rushed forward to the nurse who seemed overwhelmed by their sudden appearance in her face.

"Is it me!" Ino and Sakura respectively stepped back to give the nurse room but both spoke the same question in unison. Emiko laughed at the sight and Naruto joined in for a second before he resumed eating his 3rd ramen. Megumi giggled lightly, her hand placed politely over her mouth as she watched the pair.

"No," the nurse caught Emiko's gaze and the brunette raised her eyebrows in question. "He said that if he had to he'd see the idiot girl with mismatched eyes." The sushi that had been resting peacefully in her chopsticks popped out of the grip when Emiko's pressed upon the chopsticks in surprise. 'Aw man, that was my last piece…' Emiko tried to ignore the shocked looks of Ino, Sakura and Naruto and stood quietly.

"Alright where is he?" Emiko asked, trying to get out of the room as quickly as possible. Megumi smiled faintly and watched the brunette softly as she stood, one hand scratching the back of her head while she strained to smile amongst the tension of the room.

"This way." The nurse led Emiko out and she cherished the change in atmosphere as she left the others behind. 'Damn Uchiha. He probably did that so Sakura and Ino kill me.' She couldn't help but worry about what she would be returning to.

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"Why did he call for her!" Ino's yell was the first and Sakura quickly followed her lead as she rounded on Naruto and Megumi as though they had the answers. Naruto glanced nervously at Megumi who seemed unperturbed by the sight of the two devastated fangirls.

"You'd have to ask him. We don't know." Megumi spoke gently as she tried to soothe them into a calmer state.

"Hai." Naruto agreed boldly but as Sakura paced Megumi noticed Naruto warily eating his ramen, his eyes trained on the others as though he expected them to attack him.

Ino resigned to a chair angrily, her arms were folded and her blue eyes were trained on a wall. 'Why don't they just accept it?' Megumi let out a weary sigh before she continued to eat.

"Are either of you dating him?" Kakashi's question sent a spark through the group and Megumi moved further back in her seat as she anticipated what could happen next.

"Not yet." Sakura halted her pacing and turned to Kakashi who was resting lazily in a recliner, his visible eye boring through the pink haired teen. Ino scoffed and Sakura turned her gaze to the blonde rival.

"Hai?" Sakura spat and Ino slowly drew her gaze to Sakura before she grinned in a way to imply she believed herself to know more.

"I'm just laughing because you think Sasuke-kun's actually going to go out with you." In the short time after their friendship had shattered each girl had taken up the shards to use as weapons against each other. It had quickly and fiercely changed as though they'd never been friends.

"And why wouldn't he! It's better than going out with _you_, Ino-pig." Sakura retorted and she crossed her arms angrily.

"Big brow!" Ino insulted quickly. Before Megumi could try to calm them Kakashi's rejoined the conversation.

"Well if neither of you are dating him, is he dating the girl he allowed to see him?" The question hung in the air before Sakura began to protest.

"Of course not. Emiko's never dated anyone, she's too picky. They have to be nice, respectful and they have to treat her as an equal. Also she won't date anyone who she can't have an intelligent conversation with." Sakura acted as though it was an impossible goal for any male to reach.

"But…Sasuke-kun's like that." Ino realized and her eyes locked with Sakura's. Laughter burst and Megumi turned to see Naruto laughing happily on the couch.

"Sasuke-teme isn't nice or respectful! Emi-chan's too good for him." Naruto insisted through chuckles. Megumi let out a small sigh and sent him an apologetic look before he was pounced by both Sakura and Ino.

"What do you mean _she's_ too good for _him_!"

"Baka! Don't insult Sasuke-kun!"

"Naruto you're such an idiot!"

"Sasuke-kun is _very_ nice!"

"And hot!"

"_You're_ the one who isn't respectful or nice!"

"OW! MY RAMEN!"

"Guys…" Megumi stepped towards the brawl, her hands extended as she tried to tentatively stop the fight. "Hey…" None seemed to listen and Megumi frantically searched the room for anything she could use to get attention.

Kakashi was now resting comfortably on the couch, apparently unfazed by the brawl upon the ground as Megumi read the title of the book he was reading. 'Icha Icha Paradise.' Her nose scrunched in distaste before she grabbed a tall lamp by its metal body and slammed it to the ground. A satisfying thud sounded and the three stopped, their eyes searching for the source of the noise.

"Stop it." Megumi ordered. "It's Naruto-kun's opinion that Sasuke-san is like that. And can we please act like civilized beings instead of cave men?" Ino and Sakura both flushed in embarrassment before slowly getting to their feet and checking over their hair and face while Megumi extended a hand to Naruto.

"If he's not dating any of you, then you shouldn't get so upset when he allows one of his friends to see him." Kakashi's voice was dazed, as though he was speaking prepared words while his mind was elsewhere. Megumi could hear the sound of a turning page and smiled faintly before she grabbed her dinner and flipped through the channels until she found a decent channel.

"And you all are annoyingly loud." He added causing Megumi's smile to widen as she rested in her seat.

'What an interesting day…'

A/n: Gah, I'm still not happy with the length but oh well.


	12. Hiding Games

"Many a man is praised for his reserve and so-called shyness when he is simply too proud to risk making a fool of himself."-Joseph Priestley

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Emiko had silently followed the nurse, ignoring her questioning peeks and constant rambling. 'My head hurts,' she declared in her thoughts. 'She's annoying.' The previously quiet nurse was continuing to chat away with Emiko, oblivious to the look of annoyance on the young teen's voice.

'I wonder how many carrots I could stick in her mouth.' At the reference to carrots her mind made a unsurprising twist to carrots. 'Haha, Uchiha Bunny suit I forgot about that.' She contented to amuse herself while tuning out the blaring radio of a nurse.

Without her noticing the nurse had slowed, eventually halting before a door and turning to find only empty space. Her brow furrowed and she turned in the other direction to see Emiko still walking, her eyes were glazed and she was apparently in her own little world.

As the nurse opened her mouth to call the brunette back an empty bed appeared from the room, rolling gently along the ground as it moved into Emiko's path. The nurse wasn't quite sure what happened next, as she had closed her eyes to avoid watching but the sounds provided enough. Emiko let out a loud yell of shock, accompanied ever gracefully by the loud crash as the bed was toppled onto its side. The contents lying on the mattress scattered to the floor making an orchestra of sound as they skidded in different directions.

Emiko groaned and pushed a pillow from her face. The nurse who had been pushing the bed appeared above her, a slightly steamed look upon her face. Emiko managed to gather herself quickly under the gaze and attempted to gather some of the spilt supplies.

'Ah screw it,' Emiko thought hurriedly, her face already flushed from heavy embarrassment. By now half of the occupants of the hall had poked out to see what had caused the commotion.

"Gomen." She muttered and made a hurried dash for the nurse who was watching her with high amusement upon her face. 'Geez carrots would be handy right now,' Emiko let out a small yelp as she almost tripped. The blanket from the mattress had somehow caught on her foot and Flushing even worse, if possible, under all the stares Emiko desperately yanked her foot from the folds before half running towards the nurse.

As Emiko approached the room, the nurse couldn't help but giggle at the sight. She turned to open the door for the teen when she noticed it was already open, its inhabitant now leaning against the doorframe, his charcoal colored eyes focused on Emiko as she rushed towards his room.

"Shut up Uchiha." Emiko wasted no time and shoved him inside before following and slamming the door. Once inside Emiko leaned against the door, her face still red from humiliation. Slowly she slid to the floor and pulled her legs to her before she turned her gaze to the Uchiha who was watching her, his trade mark smirk upon his face and cruel amusement at her embarrassment evident.

"I said shut it." She hated being humiliated. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes, trying to find a sense of inner tranquility.

"Are you trying to meditate?" Sasuke finally asked, the sense of mockery easily traceable in his voice.

"Iie. If I was I wouldn't be trying to around you." She replied shortly although her voice wasn't as high strung and her features relaxed. The heat from her face receeded and she opened her eyes before standing up.

"So why am I here oh annoying rabbit one?" She decided to include the rabbit comment at the last minute and couldn't help but chuckle as she watched Sasuke open his mouth but pause upon hearing rabbit. He quirked an eyebrow.

"Did that fall rattle the sanity from your head?" He asked and Emiko shook her head, grinning now.

"No the rest of that fell out a long time ago."

"When?"

"When I decided to try and be your friend." Emiko's grin widened and to her surprise a smirk came to Sasuke's face, his eyes flickering for a second of amusement.

"I would've guessed it was when you're mother dropped you on your head as a baby." He replied smoothly and Emiko's grin dropped only to be replaced by a blank stare.

"Not funny Uchiha!" She remarked, inwardly happy he actually said something. "Besides you're one to judge. Who knows how many wires were unscrewed in that head of yours when you were a kid." Before she could enjoy the satisfaction of her come back Sasuke spoke.

"Wires don't unscrew."

"Shut up Uchiha they could!" She spoke at a normal volume but a sense of mock indignation was running through her tone.

"Iie they couldn't." Sasuke's arms folded before him and Emiko watched as his smirk widened. 'Is he actually enjoying this?' Emiko wondered, slightly taken aback by the idea of the Uchiha feeling something positive. She wasn't entirely sure what to call their exchange, teasing most likely.

"If you wouldn't contradict me then they would!" She retorted quickly before she quickly jogged and jumped on his hospital bed. Sasuke took hold of the silence and stood calmly in the room. It was a comfortable silence, but if anyone was asked Emiko could make anything comfortable. He glanced at her only to see her writing something on a napkin that had come with his dinner.

Her cheek rested against the palm of her hand and her elbow rested on the small table hovering over the hospital bed. Her eyes were slightly dazed as her hand flitted over the paper in short and brisk movements.

Curiosity got the better of him and he walked closer, trying to not show interest as he peered over her shoulder. She was writing something and seemed oblivious to him as he leaned in closer. Before he could stop himself his first thought fled his mouth.

"Your hand writing is terrible." The mood cracked and Emiko sighed before allowing her head to thud upon the table.

"Uchiha you're terrible." She muttered and he almost chuckled at her dull voice. It kind of reminded him of her lazy friend, the Nara kid. Deciding the moment was over and he was in a surprising mood to tick her off he quickly placed his hand on her side and in a swift movement shoved her from the bed.

Emiko's eyes widened faintly as she felt Sasuke's hand on her side and she immediately wondered what the hell he was doing. Unfortunately she was answered unpleasantly as she was pushed off the edge of the bed and felt the familiar welcoming embrace of the hospital floor as she landed with a loud smack. Her side ached as she sat up, glaring at the Uchiha who was now sitting in her place eating his jello quietly.

As her mouth opened to reprimand him her sight caught. It was barely noticeable through his shirt(he had changed back into his clothes) but she could see a glimpse of something. It looked like a red bump and after a few seconds she realized she was staring at his chest.

'That must be where he was hit…' Immediately she hopped to her feet and before the Uchiha knew it she smacked him on the back of the head, almost causing him to choke on his jello.

"Baka!" She reprimanded calmly before she turned on her heel and sat in a chair. Sasuke wasn't one to yell and he was forced to send her an angry and questioning glare as he made sure he didn't suffocate on jello.

"Why the hell did you let yourself get hit with that needle?" Emiko wasn't loud in volume, her voice was surprisingly calm but her arms were crossed and her eyes were stern as she looked at him to make sure he understood she wasn't pleased with his decision.

"How's your foot?" Emiko blinked, taken aback by the question. With a sigh she decided to just answer and began to think over the condition of her foot. It wasn't something she often thought about, the memories still caused her stomach to jolt and her throat to tighten. It stung but not always noticeably.

"It's fine." She answered hastily, not willing to tell Sasuke of her brief attacks of pain that would render her to her knees. 'I can handle it on my own.'

"Fine. Then show me." Sasuke stated as he tossed his empty jello cup into the trash bag. Emiko looked from the trashcan to him before she shook her head.

"You're the one in the hospital, not me. I'm supposed to be worrying over you." She pointed out. 'Which I was you jerk,' she mentally added but brushed away the comment. She was hoping the statement would distract him. In truth her best cleaning efforts didn't seem to do much good, she was constantly making sure to clean out the dirt but when she only had water and soap she felt little confidence in her disinfecting job.

Occasionally she would discovered a thick dark liquid seeping from the wound but she always cleaned it, insisting to herself that it was nothing she couldn't handle with a little more time spent on cleaning the cut. She wasn't going to take anyone else's help. She hated hindering people and the thought of having to acknowledge she needed someone's help to clean her own cuts was something she wasn't going to accept lightly.

"Kigurashi just show me the cut." Sasuke ordered, his black eyes latching onto her gaze as he made sure she understood his demand.

"Jerk." Emiko sighed irritably and carefully pulled off her shoe, followed by her sock. She prayed it would look normal. 'Try and clean it just in case,' she thought and lifted her foot so she could inspect it. Before she had the chance Sasuke grabbed her ankle and knelt down to examine the gash.

Seconds passed and Emiko felt her discomfort rise with each tick of the wall clock. Shifting in her seat she attempted to pry her foot from Sasuke's grasp but only felt his grip tighten considerably.

"Your cleaning abilities are terrible." He stated calmly as though he wasn't surprised. Truthfully he wasn't, something like the injury she had required at least hydrogen peroxide and probably medication to prevent infection.

"Uchiha, they're fine. It's just taking longer than it would with all sorts of pil-" Emiko's protest was cut short as she gasped for breath. Sasuke had slammed her injured heel on the floor the mixture of intense, sharp pain and chill from the floor trapped the air in her lungs and her eyes shut.

Sasuke opened his mouth to explain his action when Emiko's hand flew to hit him in the back of the head. He caught her wrist, quickly being accustomed to her reactions and released it where it fell to her side.

"You're going to need antibiotics." He stated calmly and gently released her ankle. Immediately Emiko jerked her foot from the floor and began to carefully redress it. Her head shook, causing her brown locks to become even more tangled than before.

"Iie, doctors and medicines cost money. And I can do it on my own." Emiko fumbled with her shoe laces and despite Sasuke's faint admiration at her determination to do it alone he quickly grabbed her ankle once again and banged it on the floor.

Tears painfully fought to rise to her eyes but she squeezed her eyes shut to the world and tried desperately to push it all away. Unconsciously she dropped her shoe and Sasuke took the opportunity to throw it onto the hospital bed. It would at least buy him some time to force her to see reason.

Seconds passed and Sasuke waited patiently, observing her features before she dropped her head. Her arms were wrapped around her and he wondered how painful it was. If it really caused her so much pain it was most likely badly infected and the infection could easily spread to the rest of her body. Finally he noticed her take a deep breath and lift her head, her eyes were the first things he saw and he immediately grabbed her gaze.

"Kigurashi you're being childish-"

"Iie, I'm not. Doctors and medicines are expensive. I'm not like you Uchiha." The contempt of her situation seemed to unwillingly rise in her voice. "I don't have tons of money to go to fancy high end schools or go to college." The words were spat onto the ground and left their, the anger in the words seemed to seep out and the atmosphere felt heavy.

"Shut up." Sasuke replied harshly, his eyes hardened as he continued to hold both her ankle at her eyes. "Don't blame your lack of money for why you go to a shitty school and why you can't go to college. Or why you can't get simple medications to prevent you from dying." The thought of no longer having anyone to bother made him slightly nervous but he didn't allow the feeling to live long. He wasn't angered much by her words, more her resignation. She was blaming the world for her position in it but seemed to do nothing to escape what she had been put into.

Emiko's mismatched eyes darted from his and she tried once again to wretch her ankle from his grip.

"Let go Uchiha I'm going home now." She ordered, the subtle anger in her tone was an underlying warning. She couldn't believe he had basically just yelled at her for being poor. 'He's an arrogant jerk.' She thought furiously and attempted to shove him away in hopes he would release her. His gaze never left her face as he tried to wear her down and she made conscious notes to not look up.

Abruptly she felt the cool air rush around her ankle as he released her. With a curt nod she stood and strode the few paces to the door.

"Kigurashi, you're forgetting a shoe." Her wonderfully planned cold shoulder crumbled as she looked to her feet to see he was right. 'Damn…'

Sasuke watched from his bed, purposefully sitting on the shoe as Emiko hobbled through the room searching everywhere imaginable for her lost shoe. It was only 10 minutes later that Emiko asked Sasuke to move so she could search the bed.

"No." Was his simplistic response. His face was as neutral as ever although Emiko couldn't see as she refused to look him in the eye.

"Uchiha…get off." She made an effort to push him off but he stubbornly managed to stay put like a stubborn mule with his heels dug in. "You're sitting on it aren't you!" The brunette growled as she finally grabbed a chance and matched his gaze.

'Man, he's creepy when he's blank.' His face looked as though it was carved of ancient stone, emotion weathered from his features and human qualities eroded by age. 'I like him more when he's actually alive.' She never monitored the words in her thoughts and focused on moving the stubborn Sasuke from his bed.

Realizing she would have to do something drastic she hopped onto the bed and grabbed his shoulders. Sasuke quickly studied her hands in question and Emiko took her opportunity as she began to shake him back and forth by his shoulders. For a moment it seemed it would agitate him enough to get him to leave but her hope was dashed to pieces as she felt strong grips on her wrists, halting the shaking.

"Get off my shoe!" Emiko protested and tried to jerk around the Uchiha. The force of Emiko's tugging forced them closer but Emiko failed to notice as she leaned in and tried to grasp for the shoe which was resting peacefully on his pillow.

'This should be easier then since he isn't actually sitting on it.' Her fingertips grazed the ends when she felt Sasuke's warm breath on her neck and froze. It was a second but it was all he needed and he forcefully pushed her to the end of the bed.

Finally the Uchiha acknowledged she wasn't going to give up any time soon, which was hinted as she lunged at him, attempting to knock him over in her quest to retrieve her shoe. Instead of waiting for her to tire he waited a moment and hit her on the back of the head. Instantaneously she fell limp and he smirked in triumph at the brunette now knocked out on his bed.

With a line of light insults in his mind he quietly walked from the room to find a doctor.

**A/n: I almost had it go longer but I decided not to. I kinda like this chapter. It was funny in the beginning I wondered if I should make them kiss whether accidentally or not. (I enjoyed putting in the part where it seemed like they might) But to me they need just a little bit more time. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. It was fun to write. . **

**-shyshi **

**p.s. the next update will take a while because I'll be writing it differently from the other's and I want to make sure it's good enough for me to post.**


	13. Embers Alive

**A/n: Heya,**

**I came so close to temptation where I wanted to download all my chapters at once and just upload them to the story immediately. But then I wouldn't stay ahead of the story and I wouldn't have a good driving force so I had to resist T.T Anyway, thanks to all my reviewers! heavenlydemonxXxo, Sailor Luna 8692 and Kelsey! So far it's you three. Yay! **

**Anyway this chapter will be done from Sasuke's point of view. Why? Because I'm evil that way. I'll put an asterisk by each chapter where it's from someone other than Emiko's general perspective. (Emiko's perspective meaning you see it mostly through her eyes and with her thoughts) This is going to be my first attempt at something like that but I just realized that it's chapter 13 so maybe it'll be lucky. Haha. **

**Anywho, enjoy,**

**-shyshi**

"What a peculiar privilege has this little agitation of the brain which we call 'thought'."-Hume

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As the door shut Sasuke released a small sigh of exasperation. That girl was determined and proud, something he thought was impressive but in her state and situation foolish. He thanked his martial arts training and peeked up and down the hall for a doctor.

A flash of movement snagged his attention and before he could take a step towards the doctor sounds of rushing footsteps and faint giggles reached his ears. His brow furrowed and he turned, slightly scowling as he was greeted by the sight of Ino and Sakura both rushing towards him, each trying to elbow the other out of the way.

Once they were a few feet away his features relaxed back to their apathetic look and he stared at the two girls blankly. Megumi, Naruto and Kakashi appeared not far behind, Megumi with her hand placed lightly over her mouth to stifle the laughter while Naruto glared daggers at the boy who had stolen Sakura's heart.

'Kami, it's not like I did it on purpose he can have her if he wants,' Sasuke thought to himself. The idea of trading the two girls for some solitude was welcomed eagerly.

"Sasuke-kun you must be so strong if you're up already." The admiration in Sakura's high voice scratched a nerve but he ignored it and turned to Kakashi as though to question the officer's intentions.

"Sasuke-san," Sasuke turned to look to Megumi, the only girl who stood politely, her hands clasped in front of her as she gazed at him. "Did Emiko already leave?" The Uchiha's eyes glanced at the door concealing the unconscious Emiko. It wouldn't look well if he revealed her to be unconscious in his hospital bed and he really didn't want to be faced with questions as to why he would knock out the girl he had allowed to visit him.

'It's all the idiot nurse's fault,' he thought to himself as he thought over the loud rambling nurse. 'She kept insisting I have someone come and visit. And Kigurashi is the least annoying when she's not being proud.' Predicting the consequences if he told the truth he nodded silently to confirm she had gone home.

"I'm leaving too." Sasuke stated in his usual monotone voice. Sakura's and Ino's faces saddened at the news while Naruto stuck out his tongue from behind their backs.

It had taken minutes before Sasuke was able to escape the group and another 5 before he could successfully stop a doctor. Luckily the doctor that stood before him seemed rather nice and understanding as he explained Emiko's position.

"We can't do things like that for free." The male doctor crossed his arms, his clipboard held in one hand. His eyes turned to the Uchiha who seemed to care less. Sasuke watched as he rubbed his temples, his conscience must have caught with him and Sasuke wondered what that felt like.

A smirk rose as he watched the doctor fight with his responsibility and the restrictions. The doctor was younger than the others Sasuke had seen, with tan skin and dark hair. The most distinguishing feature was the small scar that traced over the bridge of his nose and Sasuke spent his time playing with ideas in his head.

"I guess…if-"

"I'll pay for it." Sasuke spoke in his usual monotone voice. He had enough money left from his family. Iruka's eyes turned up and Sasuke noticed the surprise clearly evident before he nodded.

"Don't tell her." Before Iruka could ask just how he was supposed to lie about the medication being paid for the teen turned on his heel and walked away. By this time Emiko would be waking up and he wasn't taking a chance of going when he knew she'd be furious at what he'd done.

'It's her fault for being so proud.' He insisted as he stepped into the lobby and wove carelessly past the injured waiting in varying degrees of patience for their appointments. In the distance Sasuke heard a nurse calling for him to halt, he had to sign out and fill out paper work.

Without a glance back Sasuke pushed open the door and stepped into the night air. The city lights broke through the darkness forcefully and Sasuke paused, his features softening for a moment as he watched the endless expanse of light and dark.

The door opened behind him and he peared over his shoulder to watch as an elderly woman guided a wheelchair. Only a few steps back her apparent husband tried with both harsh and soft words to convince her to allow him to help her. Constantly she insisted she could do it herself and as Sasuke walked away the sounds of the two faded faintly into the distance.

The Uchiha mansion rose into view and Sasuke's eyes trailed over every detail to confirm everything was normal. The house was easily large enough to fit the school with 3 floors, a 4 car garage, a pool, hot tub, tennis court and enough land to make a personal miniature forest.

Each window was dark and as Sasuke quietly stepped inside and turned on the light the inner pieces of the house were revealed. The walls were painted a dark navy color with fringe of white while the floor was made of black wood.

Gradually he made his way through the house, only lighting rooms enough that he could inspect the contents. Dust had settled in some rooms, like his father's office, rooms that weren't ever touched and Sasuke made no notion to clean them as he would simply continue through the house.

This wasn't usual for the Uchiha to do, he normally would just go upstairs to his room and finish school work and eat before going to sleep. Yet today he walked through memory's halls and checked each room as though expecting someone to be waiting for him.

His suspicions were right as he opened a door to the library. Sitting peacefully in one of the cushioned red chairs, a book in hand and a sinister look of amusement on his face sat Toya.

Fire danced behind him and Sasuke realized he must have discovered the fireplace that had been so masterfully been hidden behind boxes. When his family had died Sasuke had considered moving and the ceiling length mahogany shelves were still bare of books as Sasuke had never cared to replace them.

Hearing the door open Toya closed his book with a snap and lifted his black gaze to meet the blank stare of Sasuke. 'Baka, I should have him arrested for breaking in,' Sasuke growled mentally but refrained from showing his annoyance at the teen's appearance.

"Ah Sasuke," he grinned faintly and moved his feet to the mahogany table resting in the center of the room. "I didn't think you would be back so late." His light voice failed to mask the gaze in his black eyes.

'What the hell does he want,' Sasuke was less than pleased to see the teen acting so at ease. The door opened a few inches under Sasuke's command but he never stepped further than a foot into the room. Memories aren't easy to forget and he wasn't going to give his mind a chance to leap back in time.

"What do you want." Sasuke finally spoke and intentionally scowled to show his distaste for the situation.

Toya's face fell to a pout and he crossed his arms childishly which only further provoked Sasuke's annoyance. A string of insults passed through Sasuke's mind but he managed to reign in the annoyance and emotion before he spoke.

"Get out." He ordered and knocked the other door of the double doors open to express his sincerity in the command. Since the incident with the graffiti Toya had been less than amiable towards the Uchiha. Not that Sasuke ever cared enough to notice but to break into his house was one step too far.

"Where ya been?" Toya chose to ignore the order, as though it was an offer which he politely declined. A smile crept to his face and he grabbed another book from a book beside the chair and flipped through the pages carelessly. "It's rather late did you go and spend some time at your girlfriends place?"

At the question Sasuke's narrowed his eyes. Sasuke knew that Toya was merely trying to agitate him but it was working successfully. Emiko wasn't his girlfriend and it was obvious to everyone. Right? 'Kami he better leave soon or I'm going to kill him,' Sasuke thought only to hear Toya's laughter drifting through the spacious room.

"So you were, eh? Ni-"

"Iie baka. Kigurashi isn't my girlfriend." Sasuke refused to let him finish the sentence and spoke sharply to accent his growing annoyance. "Now get out." Toya let out a loud sigh and grudgingly got to his feet, his cheerful exterior had washed away and the angered Toko strode up to Sasuke. Rather than look up at him, which would require him to tip his head a bit at the teen's abnormal height, Sasuke pointed a finger towards a door that lead out of the house.

"You better watch it, you're making friends with trash and no one at Gideon's is going to like that." Toya's breathed the warning before he stomped from the room and stormed out the door.

'Childish baka,' Sasuke declared mentally before he stepped from the room, carefully closing the door and locking it securely. The fire would die out soon.

Light failed to be a requirement as Sasuke expertly maneuvered his way through his house and up the curved stairs to the second floor. In the moonlight his bedroom door was clearly visible and he knocked open one of the double doors to survey his room. It was sparsely furnished, with a bed, desk, chair and book shelf. The lack of clutter gave it the air of emptiness, the same as the rest of the house but he paid it no mind.

"_Kigurashi isn't my girlfriend." _His statement was true of course but for some reason he couldn't help but think over the past days.

"_You should let someone visit you before you leave," The nurse insisted. _

"_Iie." Sasuke retorted quickly and blankly while his eyes watched the sky through his hospital room window._

"_Come on, it can't hurt." _

"_Hn." _

"_Who should I bring?" Sasuke paused, thinking over who had come._

"_The baka with mismatching eyes." The nurse beamed gleefully and bounced to the door._

"_Girl?" Sasuke paused before nodding only to hear her squeal and hold up her pinky, a curious look in her eyes. Sasuke pretended he didn't see as the nurse left the room smiling. _

'Kami, it's not my fault she's the least annoying,' Sasuke declared as he walked towards the vast windows.

"_She hasn't any money but a bad infection." Sasuke's blank gaze watched the doctor who smiled faintly. _

"_Girlfriend?" Sasuke shook his head, his gaze hardening at the doctor's question. _

Moonlight streamed through the windows and Sasuke took a moment to glance at the golden orb before he turned and stepped towards his bed. 'She's a friend,' He insisted, surprisingly softer that the tone most people would use. However, Sasuke…he didn't need much persuasion. He'd never liked a girl before, why would Emiko be any different.

'She's only comforting, fun, nice and strong.' He thought, grasping what he'd said he gently tapped the palm of his hand to his forehead. His black eyes closed and he took a deep breath. 'Baka, listen to yourself. A few people ask if you're dating her and all of a sudden you're thinking about what it would be like.' To have someone.

"No." He stated firmly, his voice breaking through the silence. 'You don't need anyone.' He nodded his head in agreement, the thoughts beginning to wash away in small waves.

'She better take that medicine,' Sasuke thought, failing to notice the hint of concern in his thoughts. 'She's stupid if she thinks she can take care of it herself.' He recalled when he'd come across the brunette sitting in a swing of a broken down playground. He changed quickly and closed his eyes once again to clear his mind.

'Tomorrow's Saturday, no school,' he thought as he climbed into his bed and pulled the blanket over him. 'These thoughts better be gone by the morning.' With a light warning growl at his mind he fell asleep.

**A/n: So what do you think? I'm not all that pleased with how I got into Sasuke's head but at least I tried right. . If anyone has any tips I welcome the help. I don't want to make Sasuke or any of the characters OC. Hope you enjoyed it at least. Haha Sasuke's going mental! That was interesting I wasn't sure how to bring up his thoughts. **

**Oh, the next chapter will be quite short since it's just a smallpart with EmikoI wanted to add in.**


	14. Raven Locks

"And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye."-Antoine De Saint-Exupery

Reflections of the passing scenery played on the car window like an old movie. Emiko watched calmly from the inside of the car, her hands folded neatly in her lap. The prescription bottle lay cupped in her hands, its label facing the top of the car so the world could read the inscription.

**Kigurashi, Emiko**

**62 North Futome Avenue**

**Take once in morning and once at night**

**1 refill (contact physician if more is needed)**

_**Paid **_

She didn't live at 62 North Futome Avenue and she had managed to get a ride from Megumi who agreed that she should see who had paid for the prescription. Hopefully they lived at the address.

"Are you going to knock?" Megumi whispered as she pulled turned into a driveway. Emiko's jaw dropped as she stared at the giant house looming before her. Her eyes quickly skimmed over each window. The sight of so much space clouded her mind with dizzying thoughts and jealousy.

'Where do I start?' She wondered and glanced down at the bottle resting comfortably in the cradle her fingers provided. Wind shuffled through the trees, the shadows twisting over the air in an ominous terror. 'It's so dark…' Fear panged at Emiko as she gazed out the window.

"Emiko," Megumi lightly touched the girl's shoulder causing her to jump. "I saw some movement up there." Megumi pointed at a window in the middle of the house. Emiko nodded, her breath caged in her throat as she quietly stepped from the car. The gravel shifted noisily beneath her feet and she paused, her heart seemingly stopping at the sound. 'I'm so going to get caught.'

Stepping lightly Emiko managed to reach the house, its shadow sent shivers up her spine as she walked quietly closer. Her mind replayed all the things that could go wrong, the person could be a killer. Or it could be freakishly dark inside. Or they could be mad she came. Or it could be freakishly dark.

'Damn it get over the dark!' Emiko ordered as she quietly rapped on the door. Minutes passed with nothing. She didn't hear noise nor see lights to show someone was even home. 'Okay window.' She declared as she moved to the wall. Her eyes scanned over the sides, hoping they would have something she could use climbing.

Sighing in frustration Emiko jogged to the back of the house, taking a few moments to admire the tennis court, in-ground pool and hot tub. 'Stupid rich person,' she thought, she couldn't help but be jealous. This was all the things she'd always wished for as a kid.

But now wasn't the time to dwell and she noticed what looked like a black wooden fence. 'One of those contraptions for flowers to grow on,' her luck had struck again and she smiled. One hand grasped to the structure while the other fought through the tangle of overgrown plant that had grown unchecked.

To her joy the structure was sound and after minutes of struggling with whatever had grown she felt the victory of her hand grazing the smooth surface of a balcony. Her other hand hastily grabbed onto the ledge and she pulled herself up, feeling the relief of the solid surface beneath her.

Opening her eyes she got to her feet slowly and edged closer to the spacious windows connected to the balcony. Other the other side of the glass was a room with sparse furniture and double doors. Slowly she reached a finger and poked at the window, noting the slight movement it gave at her light push.

Glancing down she grasped the copper door handle and twisted, feeling the surprise and success as it twisted silently to her demand. She carefully pulled and stared with seized breath as it silently opened. Peeking in Emiko noticed a sleeping form in the bed and quietly stepped inside, leaving the door ajar in case she needed to run.

The medication that had been resting in her pants pocket rustled, clinking against their container. Emiko froze her heart seizing as she watched the form turn into the shadows. Seconds passed before the brunette allowed herself to breath and she cautiously moved towards the bed, her curiosity as peeked as ever.

"I don't want waffles…" A hand flew to Emiko's mouth and her eyes widened in pure enjoyment as she recognized the voice.

"'Cause they get caught in my braces…" Emiko closed her eyes in an attempt to not laugh. 'Who would've thought it…Sasuke sleep talks.' The very idea increased her laughter 5 fold.

"Iie…bully." A strangled giggle escaped her lips and she dropped to the ground with a soft thud as the Uchiha turned in his bed. Hesitantly Emiko rose to crouch beside the bed, her blue and brown eyes gazing at the Uchiha. Spurts of giggles rose but they eventually stopped as she studied Sasuke's face.

His features were peaceful, almost happy while he slept. The moonlight brushed across his pale face while locks of raven hair fell in odd directions. Strands graced over his face and Emiko smiled faintly before she extended a hand and softly touched the lock before she moved it gently from his face.

'He's cu-' Emiko abruptly pulled away her hand and forced the thought to stop in her mind. Her gaze turned to her jacket pocket and she cautiously withdrew the prescription bottle to stare at the label.

'Paid…does that mean he paid for it?' The question revealed many more with no lead to answers. 'Why would he do that?' Emiko shook her head, her hair swishing over her face in a mess that caused the teen to become quite agitated.

'Stupid Sasuke went behind my back…' regardless of her pride she knew that he was helping her. She was forced to acknowledge that she has no basis to be upset as Taking another long look at the teen she let her finger slide over his face for a mere second. She murmured an 'arigatou' and left silently the way she came.

Once back upon the ground Emiko jogged back to Megumi's car, no longer caring about the noise she made. She grabbed the handle, waiting until she heard the click of the locks before she climbed into the passenger side.

"So, who was it?" Megumi asked quietly as she pulled the car to life. Steadily she led it around the driveway before halting at the exit, waiting patiently for the response. Emiko hesitated, her gaze resting on the label while her mind replayed thoughts. He had helped her and she knew he had just as much pride, what if she told them that he had paid for it? That would be a way to ruin his reputation. 'Stupid conscious…' she thought with a faint smile before she looked up to Megumi.

"Nobody. They weren't home."

**A/n: so I hope you enjoyed. It might seem a little out of character for Emiko what she did but hey, I thought it was kind of sweet. I absolutely love Sasuke's sleep talking. That was the most fun to write. .**

"**Sleep is a refuge. It's where we can be a child again. It's where we can be a fairy tale hero and it's while we're sleeping that our true self comes to light."- Amy McDermott **


	15. The PLAN

"True friends stab you in the front."-Oscar Wilde

"Iko-chan?" Emiko turned on her bed, burying her head in her hands in an attempt to avoid the light and noise. Something prodded her shoulder causing her to swat at the air lazily. A deep, gentle laugh sounded and Emiko's eyes snapped open, a broad smile upon her face as she sat up in bed. Standing beside her bed was a kind looking man with dark brown hair and soft chocolate colored eyes. Flecks of grey were peppered into his hair and his skin winkled as he smiled happily.

"Otou-san?" The man sat down at the foot of her bed and she ruffled her messy hair. "I thought you had work." Kyo Nagasaki worked through the day as a bartender at a local restaurant while at night he worked as a security guard for one of the corporate businesses downtown.

He nodded his head calmly his eyes never leaving Emiko. Being away most of the time he rarely saw his daughter and he took the time to see how she'd grown. Her eyes were the same shining colors, one blue and one brown. Her usually straight brown hair was untidy from her sleep but he could still see the beauty in her. The warm sunlight streamed in through the windows and cast a warm coloring to her face.

"Otou-san?" She inquired curiously and he broke from his thoughts to smile. "Are you okay?"

He nodded slowly, his mind still noticing her features. "I'm fine, just…you look so much like Ayame." Emiko's eyes softened at the mention of her mother and her father paused. The atmosphere had fallen from its former happiness. Kyo always referred to his wife by her name, to keep her alive in their minds.

"Hai…" Emiko murmured and her eyes were downcast upon the sheets now twisting in her fingers.

"How's school?" Emiko tilted her head to look at her father, a small smile on her face as she scooted back to lean against the headboard.

"Not bad. We got some new students from Gideon's."

"Hai, I heard." Brown eyes watched her carefully, a hint of suspicion in their depths. "Are you getting along with them?" Emiko feigned indignation for a second but shrugged it off as she noticed the serious curiosity in her father's face.

"Some of them…" She replied, knowing what question would come next.

"Why not all of them?" 'Geez he acts like I should be friends with everyone,' there was light scorn in her thoughts but she kept it from her voice.

"Because the two I don't get along with are as-"

"Emiko." Kyo stopped his daughter from completing her sentence and Emiko sighed half heartedly. His tone was stern; he had never liked the idea of her cursing or fighting. He had hoped she would grow to be sweet and gentle as she'd found out from their arguments. Needless to say Emiko wasn't one to be quiet nor sweet.

"Fine. They were being meanies." Emiko couldn't keep the agitation from her voice and Kyo sighed, his hands rubbing his temples as he tried to steer away from the argument begging to be released.

Emiko opened her mouth to speak when someone rapped at the door.

"Emi-chan open the door! You better not be doing anything _bad_ in there!" Naruto's voice was loud and audible, both factors making Emiko cringe under the sudden stare from her father.

"Naruto shut up! Emiko open up!"

"Uh…" she gave a nervous laugh, trying to think of a way to explain the statement. 'Oh crap.' Was all she could think. "That's Naruto, he's just joking." Hastily she jumped from her bed and wrenched open the door. Her gaze was less than welcoming and she watched as they collectively stepped back from her.

"Naruto meet my otou-san." Emiko opened the door and stepped aside to reveal the adult still sitting on the foot of her bed. The blonde's face fell and he managed a strained laugh and a shaky wave to the man who waved back calmly.

"Naruto!" Sakura smacked the back of his before smiling innocently and sweetly. Emiko managed a minute laugh before she invited them inside.

"This is Uzumaki Naruto and this is Haruno Sakura." It seemed Naruto's comments were brushed from her father's mind as he greeted them warmly. Silence followed and Naruto shifted nervously from side to side. Hating the uncomfortable moments Emiko turned to Sakura.

"Why are you here?" Sakura's green eyes brightened.

"Oh I forgot. We, and some of the others, were planning on going to the mall downtown. There are some new stores opening and a celebration as well." Sakura explained and Naruto's eyes brightened as he remembered why they had come.

"How are you going to get there?" Emiko tread softly with her carefully chosen words. 'If I act like I'm going to go without asking otou-san might say no.' Emiko thought to herself. 'I hope he lets me,' Emiko glanced at her father with a hopeful expression in her eyes. He nodded, his lips upturned in a minute smile. Sakura grinned and Naruto hopped in place before he grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the door.

"Wait." Emiko dug her heels into the ground, the friction causing Naruto to halt. "I still need to know how we're going to get there and I also need to change." She looked down to see a pair of plain pajama pants. Naruto grinned sheepishly and released Emiko's wrist so she could grab some clothes and change in the bathroom.

She stepped out wearing her usual jeans and a black wife-beater covered by her jacket. With extra care she slipped on her shoes, she hadn't told her father about her injury she knew it would worry him and she couldn't afford the guilt. In the effort to conceal her wound she walked normally, feeling the continuous jolts of pain that she hid from her father.

"Come on!" Naruto waved a cheerful good bye to Kyo and he sprinted out the door with both girls in tow.

"Naruto calm down, it's just a mall." Emiko muttered, her voice seeming strained as she had been refused the time to adjust to his speed causing only more pain in her foot.

Naruto let out another nervous laugh, his blue eyes resting on Sakura who also managed a small, uneasy giggle. Emiko watched as a clear mental argument passed between the two. 'nani?' Emiko wondered, her confusion piling heavily on her thoughts before it began to spill over into agitation.

"Naruto, Sakura." Both turned upon hearing their names. Emiko crossed her arms before her, a firm guise in her face. "What is going on?" Naruto scratched the back of his head, a weak fox grin coming to his face before he bolted and jumped into Megumi's car waiting just outside.

"NARUTO! You coward!" Sakura yelled angrily, apparently furious he had fled leaving her to explain. Emiko cleared her throat and Sakura turned her green eyes to see Emiko waiting, one eyebrow raised at the pink haired girl.

'What the hell, they act as though we're going to go rob a bank.' Emiko thought to herself. Seconds were allowed to play with the idea but she knew it wasn't possible. Sakura was too good to do that, Naruto too loud and Megumi too nice. 'So what are they so nervous about?'

"Well we're not really going to the mall- I mean we might-But-I mean-Naruto-We just thought-"

"Sakura what!" Emiko demanded calmly, an unwanted smile lifting to her face as she watched the teen flush from embarrassment at her rambling.

"We're going to Sasuke-kun's house." Emiko blinked before she shrugged and stepped out the door.

"Okay." She replied calmly. "As long as he's okay with it." Somehow the next sentence didn't truthfully come as a surprise to her.

"He doesn't know yet." Emiko stopped, her hand resting on the door handle before clicked it open and stepped in.

"Okay but he's going to kill you." Sakura squealed at the words and hurriedly squashed herself into the car like no tomorrow. Emiko sighed, resting her forehead against the window and staring out as the streets passed by.

'He's going to kill them for just showing up.' She thought to herself. 'Sakura-chan's going to flip when she sees how rich he is. Naruto's going to have a hissy fit.' At the mention of his house her attention sharpened. 'Oh crap,' her gaze flitted past Sakura as she changed CD's in the car and focused on Megumi who was calmly driving the way there.

'She's going to recognize the house!' Her heart lurched at the idea, then the secret would be out and Sasuke would find out she'd snuck into his house. 'Heck, the whole Sasuke fan club will find out and murder me…'

Her head fell back against the window with a lucid thump. Inside her mind she began to picture her funeral, who she would want there and what kind of music she hoped they would play. 'I hope a ninja bunny comes…that would be cool.'

With each block passed towards the Uchiha's house Emiko felt as though her ninja bunny-less funeral was becoming more and more of a reality. The sounds of Sakura's singing and Naruto's attempted singing wafted in and out of her ears as they prepared for the attack on Sasuke's residence.

'We're all dead…'

**A/n: I must say this is one of the more boring chapters x.x' I mean nothing really happens but I thought it would be a good place to end before the secret attack on Sasuke's house. haha I'm looking forward to that. I'm going to base it off a time a friend and I tried to sneak attack our friend's house so it should be pretty funny. I don't normally ask for reviews but hey they always help although I'll keep posting regardless of how many I get.**

**-shyshi**


	16. Sentences Can Mean So Much

**"Feelings are not supposed to be logical. Dangerous is the man who has rationalized his emotions." -David Borenstein**

"Naruto-tori in position 1." _'Meaning you're hanging upside down from the tree in Sasuke's yard…baka.'_

"Sakura-pinku." _'She's giggling so much she might give away where she is._' "in position 2." _'You're kind of peeking in the window right now Sakura…that's…stalkerish.'_

"Megumi-chibi in position 3."_ 'I don't think Naruto heard her…'_

"WHAT!" _'Smooth Naruto…'_

"Megumi-chibi in position 3."

"Emi-chan?" _'No way Naruto don't try that voice on me.' _

"Come on Emi-chan you have to say your position!" _'I can tell you where my foot will be positioned if you don't shut it…'_

"Just say it and we can get this over with Emiko." 'Fine…'

"Emi-baka-dobe in position 4." Naruto burst into happy laughter, clinging to the tree's branch for support.

"Baka." Emiko muttered before she picked up a piece of gravel and chucked it at the blonde. Each person came out of their hiding spot, Megumi from behind a parked car and Sakura from her place against a wall of the house.

"Emiko, in his defense we did each agree to have someone else make up a nickname for his game of stealth." Megumi stepped up next to the brunette and watched as Naruto tried to dodge the gravel. Emiko grabbed a heavy handful of the stones and waited an evil smirk on her lips as she waited.

"I know but they weren't supposed to be retarded nicknames." With that being said Emiko launched the gravel at Naruto and felt victory as they pelted Naruto. 'Try and dodge that.' She laughed before turning to the other two.

"Are we actually going to continue through with this?" Sakura's expression barely showed her excitement and she nodded heartily. Megumi, who didn't seem to mind either way, offered an 'I suppose so.' A loud thump reached their ears and they each turned to see Naruto sprawled on the ground, his feet in the air and his back against the tree trunk.

"Guys!" Instantly he was to his feet and he pressed his back against the tree. "Stealth mode! How are we going to kill Sasuke-teme if he's waiting for us!" He turned his blue eyes to the group only to be greeted by Sakura's fist cracking down painfully upon his head.

Emiko crossed her arms and let her gaze flatten at the two. "Naruto you are the loudest kid in high school and Sakura has bright pink hair. We can't be stealthy." Megumi giggled from beside her and Emiko let out a short laugh at the look upon the pair's face.

Sakura was the first to recover and Emiko watched as she bounced to the front door and knocked loudly upon the door. The blonde appeared not soon after, pressing himself against the wall beside the door as though he hoped he would meld into it.

"Come Emiko." Megumi called sweetly and Emiko's eyes were drawn to the golden haired girl. 'Why hasn't she recognized his house yet? Or why hasn't she said anything?' Her inability to answer even the simplest questions bothered her mind and she resolved to ask the teen as soon as possible.

The sound of an opening door drew all their attention and standing calmly in its doorframe was Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura's face broke into a smile while a tint brightened her cheeks as Sasuke looked at the three females.

"Wha-"

"GOTCHA!" Naruto jumped in and tackled the raven haired teen to the ground. Sakura let out a forceful yell of anger at the blonde and attempted to yank him off her love. It seemed he didn't need help though as Naruto was kicked off and skidded to a stop outside the door.

"Uchi-" Emiko made to call out for him but wasn't fast enough as the door closed sharply. Naruto stared at the door incredulously while Sakura simply gaped at the door with a hint of hurt in her emerald eyes. 'Jerk,' Emiko thought as she raced up to the door and began to pound on it.

"Hey! Uchiha! Open up! We're here to have fun!" Emiko shouted at the door, her brow furrowed in annoyance as she knocked harshly. The sound of the door unlocking finished her banging rampage and Sasuke greeted them with a sharp glare.

"Go away." He made to close the door again but found Emiko holding it open. Onyx black eyes met with her mismatched ones before she slowly opened the door, a smile now upon her face.

"Come on," her tone had softened. "We drove all the way here." The Uchiha let out a small 'hn' and moved from view. Sakura looked to Emiko, stunned. She just smiled brightly and gestured for them to enter and followed lastly.

"YOU'RE RICH!" Naruto's voice echoed lightly from the walls and Emiko stopped to take in the interior. The colors were comforting to her and her eyes took in the details before she joined the line playing follow the leader after Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun." Sakura's eyes were wide but she rarely took her eyes off the teen heart-throb striding before her. The dark tone of the house was slightly unnerving and Sakura was grateful for the lights spaced at perfect intervals.

For minutes they were introduced to the house with occasional remarks made by Naruto who felt his hope of up staging the Uchiha slipping every time he found himself down another hall. The line stopped and Sasuke opened a door, one finger pointing in and Sakura complied silently. Naruto peeked in first and his face lit as the room was revealed.

The walls were decorated a dark red with white borders and tan furniture. In the middle of the room was a delicately aged pool table. In one corner was a pinball machine and in another was a large screen TV accompanied by a large couch and a recliner. Movies were stacked in the bookshelves and as Emiko entered she noticed none were younger than 9 years old.

"Uch-" Emiko turned and felt the air rush as the door shut in her face. Her eyes narrowed and she gingerly opened it before stepping back into the hallway silently. 'Okay when I said we've come to have fun I didn't mean that you would put us in a room with games and then leave!' The door creaked and she twirled to see Megumi stepped quietly out of the room. Once the door was shut they both turned to each other.

"Are they both occupied?" Emiko questioned and Megumi nodded with a small smile.

"Hai. Where are you planning on going?" Megumi inquired and Emiko let out a small laugh, her hand reaching to scratch the back of her head.

"Going to find Uchiha." Remembering her former goal she decided it was as good a time as any. "La-"

"Hai, I knew it was Uchiha-san's house." Megumi interrupted calmly and Emiko's eyes widened upon the girl's confession. 'Nani!'

"Then why didn't you say so!" Emiko demanded, straining to keep her voice quiet as she didn't want to attract the attention of the only two inside the game room.

"I wanted to see what you would do." Megumi replied, her eyes twinkling with mischief and amusement at the dumbfounded look on Emiko's face. 'Should I tell her that he was home?' Emiko wondered to herself, the options weighing in a mental scale.

"We saw Uchiha-san before he left and he said you had already gone home." Megumi began to reveal her clever deduction skills. "Yet you came to me later and asked for a ride home."

"Well I-" Emiko tried to explain but Megumi held up a hand for her to quiet. Emiko obeyed, slightly thankful, now she wouldn't have to think of some pathetic lie to cover.

"I followed Uchiha-san and heard he told a doctor to give you medication and he said he would pay for it." At this her eyes flashed to a different emotion. Emiko had seen it often when a mother was being stern to a disobedient child. She'd often used the look over her friends and wondered if this was how they felt.

"You never told anyone your foot was injured so badly you needed medication Emiko." Megumi's voice rang of concern and disappointment. Emiko glanced away from the hazel eyes while a joking smile rose to her face. 'I hate being caught,' she thought to herself

"Emiko, stop smiling." Emiko's head snapped to the girl and her smile abruptly faltered. "You smile so much its unnatural." At this the grin fell and Megumi nodded quietly. "You wanted to see who had paid so I drove you there. I've been to Uchiha-san's house a few times with Toko-san and I knew that by the time I got you there Uchiha-san would be home."

'She set me up!' Emiko realized in shock at her friend's actions. 'Why that sneaky…little...' she studied Megumi's honest face and felt her thoughts slip. 'Damn her for being so nice…and smart…baka.'

"Why wou-" Once again Megumi held up a hand and Emiko grudgingly obliged.

"I knew you would find out was him. I wanted to know what you would do with that information." Emiko's eyebrows rose in surprise and confusion. 'Nani?' "I could judge what you thought of Uchiha-san by how you reacted to the information. If you told everyone, if you said nothing or if you told a select few. Do you remember what you were like coming back into my car?" At this Megumi smiled in a way that Emiko guessed was to express her pride at her knowledge.

"I said nothing." Emiko muttered, her arms crossed as she waited for Megumi to make some kind of deduction.

Megumi giggled. Emiko's lips straightened into a line and she shot the girl a look daring her to say something. So of course she did. "You weren't just silent about it." Megumi stated once she was back to her calm and new all-knowing nature.

_Emiko paused to think, a faint smile on her face before she looked up to Megumi. _

"_Nobody. They weren't home."_

"Well he must've been in a different room." Emiko lied. She was slightly unnerved and hesitant as her mind predicted the conversation's path to be going. It was Megumi's turn to frown and her lips pursed together.

"Emiko, I doubt that." She sighed and one hand rubbed her forearm. "Can't you just tell the truth? It's not a bad thing that you didn't tell everyone Uchiha-san had done something nice for you." 'What is she getting at?' Emiko was suspicious but Megumi swept aside the expression and continued. "I don't know for sure but I'm quite positive you ran into him, whether he was asleep or not. I don't know." The air of Megumi's certainty vanished and Emiko released a small breath.

"What are you getting at?" Emiko decided it was best to cut to the chase and the golden haired teen moved her gaze around the walls before she rested her gaze on Emiko who stared blankly back.

"I'm trying to say…Well I guess I'm trying to show you more actually." Emiko felt a twinge of anticipation seconds before its partner of apprehension joined the commotion in her mind. "Sakura knocks on his door and he shuts her out, you bang on it yelling and he allows us in. Let me finish." Emiko's mouth was open, ready to spurt a sarcastic comment when Megumi suspended her talking privilege. "He pays for your medications and talks to you without you forcing him."

They were things Emiko couldn't brush away with a wave of her hand, although she tried. Instead she decided to speak. "I was banging on his door and I would've kept going until he let me in and he probably let me in to make me shut up. As for the medical bills I didn't want medication so he goes against me like a jerk to use it against me later-"

"He didn't tell you though. If he had wanted to hang it over you he would have told you." Megumi pointed out quickly and Emiko scowled for a second, her mind working briefly to find a way to refute the statement. Finding none she attempted to skip over it and continued speaking as though it hadn't happened. Megumi smiled at this.

"And he doesn't talk to me any more than he does anyone else." Victory seemed to pass to Emiko before Megumi took her chance to speak.

"Hai he does. He spoke to you when we were cleaning the classroom. Hell Emiko, he even participated a little in the little rag fight you had." This Emiko couldn't disagree with and a small laugh strained to sound as the memories of the night resurfaced. 'Damn her good memory…'

"What are you saying?" Emiko's voice had quieted and her eyes were no longer fixated on proving her friend wrong. Subdued curiosity and a tint of wariness now observed Megumi as she thought.

"I'm not sure…" Emiko's eyes widened farther than ever at the comment.

"What do you mean you don't know!"

"Well I'm sorry but you weren't supposed to give up so easily."

"That's stupid…" Emiko huffed and she glared at the ground resting beneath their feet.

"I'm glad you care for him though." The remark didn't go unheard and Emiko's attention jerked back to her friend. 'NANI! She did not just say that! What the hell!'

"NANI!" Emiko unwillingly screeched, her throat tightening while her mouth was covered successfully by Megumi's hand.

"Kami Emiko, I didn't mean you love him." Megumi forced Emiko further down the hall before she removed her hand.

"Who said I cared for him!" Emiko strained to keep her voice to a yelling whisper. She felt a sharp shock and her head jerked forward as Megumi smacked the back of her head. 'Owie…so that's what it feels like.' Emiko's nose scrunched as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Emiko you listen to him, he somehow manages to calm you down and you do what you think would be best for him." Emiko's mouth hung ajar before she crossed her arms yet again and shook her head stubbornly.

"Iie."

Megumi released a long and exasperated groan. "Emiko, I'm not saying that I think you two like each other. Although I think Uchiha-san cares about you." Her pace quickened for the last sentence and she feigned ignorance to the glare. "I'm just saying that…I think it's good. And that I hope you keep it up. Oh! And that your escapade into Uchiha-san's house is a secret I won't tell."

Emiko was floored, her eyes never left Megumi's and she watched in slight stupor as she returned to the game room. Blinking, Emiko's conscious returned in full force and she slowly lowered herself to the ground. Sitting cross-legged on the ground she rested her forehead in her hands and closed her eyes for some peace.

'Care…why did I think of her statement to mean something else? Do I want him to like me? Iie, of course not. I like who I am what difference should it make if he likes me?Damn her…putting these thoughts in my mind. Sasuke wouldn't care for anyone...that wouldn't make any sense.' A low groan issued from her mouth before she bit her tongue softly to distract her mind. It didn't last long as she was back to questioning everything she'd learned in the past minutes.

'Okay, I guess I understand. I almost went at Toko once and he stopped me and I almost barged in after Naruto and he stopped me but I'm not that hard to stop…'

"_Emiko! Where are you!" A young teenage boy raced through the streets, his dark brown eyes searching frantically over every crack in the street. _

"_Nii-san!" A young girl with long pigtails of brown hair and one blue and one brown eye peeked over a rooftop and waved gleefully. The boy stopped his heart pounding as he watched in terror while his younger sister stepped onto the ledge of the roof. Instantly Yukito darted into the building and raced as fast as possible. The metal exit door burst forth and Yukito dashed forward in time to grab his sister and yank her back from the ledge. Emiko let out a shout of disappointment before she began to claw at her brother's arm wrapped firmly around her stomach. _

"_Let me go! I'm going to fly!" She scratched at his arm and bit it to feel his grip loosen just enough so she could slip past his reach and back to the ledge. Looking down at the ground she smiled and bent her knees to prepare to jump. _

"_Emiko Iie!" Yukito's pleaded as he ran back to her and felt her jump. His heart seized and he grabbed frantically at her before he tumbled back, his sister yelling angrily in his grasp. _

"_Emiko stop you can't fly!" Yukito yelled, now sitting up in an attempt to keep a hold on the young brunette fighting and clawing to get back to the ledge. _

"_I'll jump and show you!" Emiko shouted in response before she felt something slam into her head._

"_Emiko you are the most stubborn girl I'll ever know." Yukito muttered, barely audible to the girl as she slipped into darkness._

'Okay so I don't listen to Yukito-nii-san all the time,' a small smile formed on her lips. 'Okay so rarely ever but just because I listened to Sasuke doesn't mean anything. Just coincidence. There's some logic...somewhere...' In her reverie Emiko had failed to notice the dark haired teen now sitting beside her.

"You're surprisingly quiet." Emiko jumped nearly a foot in the air and landed sideways causing her to topple to the ground.

"Graceful." Emiko sat up straight and gave him a sufficient glower before blowing a lock of hair from her face. Sasuke sat beside her, his blank eyes focused on the hallway spanning before him rather than the girl now murmuring things as she sat up. A smirk was in its usual place and he glanced to see Emiko shift hair back to its original place.

"Jerk." Emiko muttered before she leaned forward and gazed down the hallway. A comfortable silence fell and Emiko shifted to lean against a wall, her legs extending towards the other side. Her eyes closed and she let it settle in for a few moments before deciding to speak.

"Uchiha," Emiko assumed she had his attention as she was too lazy to open her eyes. "Why don't you smile?" The air shifted, both of the teens noticing faintly as a breath of sadness joined them.

"Hn." Emiko felt the release as she stopped smiling, her face hurt some times from the constant smiling and she relished just being calm. The tips of her mouth turned down at the lack of response. A small sound of a scoff met her ear and she opened an eye to see Sasuke smirking at her.

"You look stupid that way." Her eyes narrowed at him but stopped the small frown anyway. Sasuke turned away from her gaze and Emiko had resigned to his silence when his voice rang through the hall.

"Why do you call me Uchiha?" The question was surprising and Emiko opened her eyes to stare at Sasuke's back as though it would reveal his intentions.

"Uh... well Uchiha's easier than suffixes." She spoke honestly and waited for his response while a finger twisted in her hair. "Anyway you call me Kigurashi so you have no room to talk." She pointed out the fact. Sasuke's hands fell to his sides and he revolved around to look her in the eye.

Emiko refused to back down and met him head on, her eyes never leaving his as they waited minutes for someone to break. A voice laughed in her head and a modest but genuine smile rose to her face as she searched his black eyes. 'I never thought I'd like black eyes…' Emiko pondered the though to herself, never letting her gaze falter. Every time she thought she'd seen the last depth a new level would show.

Heat rushed to her face as she realized they had been staring for minutes, not wanting to tinge pink without reason Emiko broke the connection and looked down the hall. The sounds of her friends were muffled by the door but she could discern Naruto's voice as he played the pinball machine.

Sasuke followed her gaze and listened as Naruto ranted about the broken machine causing Sakura to be heard yelling loudly at him for kicking Sasuke-kun's machine. Emiko laughed softly and drew her gaze back to Sasuke.

"They're going to date eventually," she predicted, slightly foolishly as it seemed the two would become anything other than boyfriend and girlfriend. "Once she gets over you." She pointed a finger in Sasuke's face and amusement shone on her face as Sasuke glowered at the finger now in his face.

"Fine as long as she leaves me alone." Sasuke spoke harshly and Emiko dropped her finger, a look of mute sadness on her face as she listened to his words.

'Does he really want to be alone that much? I used to like being alone but now…I don't want to be alone anymore it's too much. Does he want to handle all that on his own?' Sasuke paused and considered the change in her face before he awaited her next words.

"Do you like being alone that much? You don't ever want to find someone?" Emiko spoke truthfully, something Sasuke always noticed and in a sense appreciated as well as disliked.

Stillness tailed her question and Emiko fidgeted with her hair as she wondered what his response would be. 'I don't want anyone,' she figured would be the answer.

"Hn." Emiko practically rolled over on the spot and groaned into the wood floor, unaware of the strange look from the Uchiha. 'Why can't he just say something!' Emiko mentally cursed the male.

"This floor feels nice." Emiko smiled like a drunken person and rested her forehead against the wood. Sasuke raised a brow as though to ask if she had taken anydrugs recently. The relaxing cover of resting on the floor tempted Emiko to sleep as she closed her eyes.

"I've never had anyone like a boyfriend." She was past the moment where she cared if he heard or not. She wanted to speak her thoughts and feelings, no matter how dizzying they were with questions about the raven haired boy.

"I think I'd like one. Or just anyone. Someone to understand you more than your friends do and to support you in any quest you take on. To hold you when you're tired and to comfort you when you're sad. To drive away the fears until you aren't scared any more. To be happy with. Or to just," she yawned, her sentence breaking for a moment. Sasuke's gaze didn't falter as he watched the girl, half asleep with her forehead on his floor, continue to speak. "Just to sit in silence with, knowing that they're there if you need them."

With the last words barely audible Sasuke picked the sleeping girl from the floor and walked to his bedroom. Entering he was careful not to disturb her before he set her gently down on the bed and took a moment to observe how she curled on her side, her fingers clinging to his comforter and her head burrowing in the space between the pillows. Shaking his head to rid his mind of plagues he disappeared silently back into the hallway.

**A/n: this took so long to write I had problems with it hopefully it turns out well! Hope you enjoy. I kind of like the Sasuke nice thingy and yay for Megumi! Haha she's like a new sherlock holmes...okay maybe not...anyway hope you enjoyed! Reviews and any comments are always appreciated. -shyshi**


	17. These Chances We Have

"Opportunity may knock only once, but temptation leans on the doorbell."-Anonymous

Emiko's mind slowly slipped back amongst those awake and she noticed happily the comfort of the bed. Slanting open an eye she quickly turned away and buried her head under a pillow to block the sunlight. Emiko released a smile of elation as her mind wandered towards the peaceful sleep. 'It's soooo comfy…' a childish smile lit her face as she felt the soft comforter wrapped around her.

"You messed up my bed." Emiko shot up in the bed, successfully ejecting the pillow that had been on her head off the bed. 'You've got to be kidding me…' Little by little she turned her head to see Sasuke standing in the doorway.

Realization thudded on her head like a bag of bricks and she hastily tried to untangle herself from the comforter. Sasuke closed the door his usual smirk upon his lips as he observed the situation unfold. Emiko tried to hurry from the bed and resulted in twisting further into the folds before she fell on the ground with a heavy thump.

"Ow." Emiko stated vacantly before she successfully wrenched herself from the blanket and rubbed her head softly. Realizing Sasuke was still in the room Emiko turned her attention to his with a sheepish smile.

"You're a klutz." The offered smile disappeared to be replaced by a short glare.

"How long have I been asleep?" Emiko instead changed the subject and glanced at the mess of comforter dripping from his bed to the floor. 'Man, I really did make a mess." She mused to herself before Sasuke's response broke her thoughts.

"An hour." Nervous laughter was the only response Emiko could think of as she shifted on her feet. 'Why didn't he just wake me up?' The teen shrugged away the question and grabbed the comforter. Before Sasuke could question or insult her she jerked it into the air and attempted to land it smoothly back in its original position. Staring at her hand-work Emiko sighed, it was still sideways and one side failed to unfold.

"The others are looking for you." Emiko's attention shifted back to the Uchiha as he opened the bedroom door again. "I told them you were wandering the woods." He finished and Emiko nodded the curiosity dissipating as he explained. 'I wonder how long it took them to notice.'

Sasuke cleared his throat and Emiko dropped from her thoughts before she scurried from his room offering a small thanks as she passed. Once outside she heard the sound of the door snapping shut and released a small sigh before leaning back against the door.

"He's confusing…" she murmured, closing her eyes to claim some rest as she knew she wouldn't have any time once she joined her friends. Her head tilted back and she stared at the ceiling before nodding resolutely and breaking from the door to find her friends.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Uzumaki put that away!" The teacher bellowed as Naruto jumped around the room with a realistic looking toy gun. The look upon Sakura's face suggested her murderous intentions and Sasuke stood calmly, his hands in his pockets and his eyes watching the blonde blankly.

"It's not real!" Naruto whined as he landed on Emiko's desk despite the loud groan the desk gave in protest. Emiko jolted awake and turned her gaze to Naruto who was grinning happily as he played with the toy gun.

"Baka! You woke me up!" Emiko grabbed the desk's edge and shook it sharply causing the blonde to let out a loud shout before falling off. Sakura hurried forward and grabbed Naruto by the ear before leading him back to the front of the classroom.

The presentations today had been slow and honestly relatively boring. Not many kids actually tried to research and those that did lacked basic speaking skills to keep the class's attention. Naruto had been one of the few with a prop although he was forced to give it up.

Emiko rested her head on the desk, her eyes closing as she tried to block out the sounds of the class. She didn't mean to be rude and ignore their presentation, she was sure Sakura had worked hard on it but she was too tired to care. 'Toko no baka.' She cursed her white haired group member. Megumi and Emiko had both been forced to work late into the night when their plans to meet with Toya in the evening had resulted in the pair being stood up. After Megumi had left Emiko had stayed awake on ramen and water to put the finishing touches on the project to satisfy her perfectionist standards.

Without realizing it Emiko drifted to sleep on her desk. It wasn't until Megumi shook her shoulder gently did she jolt up in her seat, her eyes wide as she tried to recollect her thoughts.

"Emiko, it's our turn." Emiko gave a small yawn but managed a nod as she followed Megumi up to the front of the class where Toya stood looking fiercely proud and arrogant as ever. 'Jerk.' Emiko growled mentally as she yawned again. Standing at the wall Emiko leaned against it, her head tilting forward as her eyes closed.

'Shouldn't fall asleep…' she reminded herself as Megumi began the presentation. Emiko had a fear of speaking in front of a class. Well she was nervous and Megumi had admitted to being experienced so after several pleading sessions and some threats involving chopsticks Megumi agreed as long as Emiko would put finishing touches on the writing.

"Toko, why don't you share some information you've learned about this profession?" Immediately Emiko's head shot up and her weariness was temporarily gone as she watched Toya shift uneasily. His smirk had faltered, almost disappearing under the intent stares of the classmates and he moved from foot to foot

"Uh…" Emiko could feel cruel victory slowly inching into her grasp as the seconds ticked by. 'That's what he gets for standing us up.' Emiko thought savagely as the class waited for the teenager's response.

"I mean-"

"Toko-san helped us with the technology part of the presentation and research. He's rather shy when talking in front of a group so we agreed I would be the main speaker." Realization thudded onto Emiko's head as Megumi spoke and she felt torn between her desire to yell the truth and the need to keel over from shock.

'NANI?' Emiko was sure her mouth was open big enough to fit an elephant as she stared at Megumi's back. 'TRAITOR!' Her victory that had been so close skipped away gleefully to the sounds of Britney Spears, furthering Emiko's distressed mental state to a point she wouldn't have been surprised if she'd been determined insane.

In the distance that sounded like miles away Emiko could discern Megumi's voice as she continued peacefully with the presentation. 'It was so close…' Emiko wailed mentally. 'Why did she lie to cover Toko-teme!' For several minutes she pondered it, thinking over any possible excuse. 'She can't still like him! He's a jerk! He deserves to fail!' The sense of injustice swelled in Emiko's chest and she was grateful as the end of the presentation came, giving her the chance to dash out of the room dragging Megumi with her.

"What did you just do! You covered for him!" Emiko strained to keep her voice low as she closed the classroom door. 'Calm…think of peaceful oceans…and beaches…and sharks killing Toko-teme in the ocean by the beach…' a small serene smile came to her face before her eyes snapped open.

"Emiko I know you hate him but leaving him to dry will make our teamwork look bad as well as make him eager and angry to get back at us." Megumi reasoned calmly. Emiko stopped. 'Damn her…' she cursed before sighing.

"Fine…you and your stupid niceness." Emiko turned and quietly walked back into the room, avoiding the questioning looks from her friends as she filed her way back to her seat.

"Now that all the presentations are finished I have an announcement. We have been informed that there is a competition coming up in the next few weeks for students." Emiko rested her head on the desk, her arms folded around her head to block as much sound as possible from the outside world. Her previous drowsiness had returned in full blast as soon as she had taken her seat and she wanted nothing more than a comfortable bed.

'Sasuke's bed was comfortable…' she thought to herself, half asleep. Minutes later she began to reprimand herself sleepily for thinking about it and she forcefully shoved all recollections of the soft bed from her thoughts.

"Now sign up sheets will be available starting tomorrow morning for two days." Something prodded her side and Emiko shifted a few inches to hopefully avoid whatever had chosen to pester her. 'Go away…go choke on onigiri.' Emiko thought hazily, a low groan came from her mouth as she felt herself being poked two more times.

"Nani?" Emiko muttered sourly, her lack of sleep contributing to her apparent shortness of politeness.

"Emiko, come on it's time to go." Sakura encouraged her friend before standing to leave, hoping her timing was correct as she tried to intercept Sasuke on his way out. 'Iie…I don't want to.' Emiko protested with a weak wave of her arm before she felt someone grab her wrist and jerk her from her seat. Pain shot through her head as she slipped from her chair and crashed onto the floor, successfully hitting her head on Sakura's chair before she landed on the ground.

"Ow..ow...ow, ow, ow, ow." Emiko sat up and rubbed her head, oblivious to the shadow casting over her form as she rested on the ground. Tilting her head her eyes narrowed as she saw Sasuke walk away smirking. 'Jerk.'

"Emi-chan are you okay! Did Sasuke-teme hurt you! I'll beat him up!" Naruto eagerly offered as he bent down to eye level with the brunette. She shook her head and slowly stood to her feet before she glanced to see Sakura walking beside Sasuke trying to engage in conversation.

"Are you going to try for the competition Emiko?" The girl turned to see her former project partner standing beside a desk waiting patiently for the two. 'Competition? Nani?' Emiko's face changed in a mixture of confusion and aggravation as the ever so fortunate day unfolded before her.

"There's a competition, academic and other things. Winners receive scholarships." Megumi explained and immediately Emiko's eyes widened. 'Scholarship!' It was the magic word and one she'd prayed to hear for so long and she eagerly swiveled on her heel to face Megumi.

"Explain please."

"There are to be teams of four from each school that wants to participate. Well there can be more but-"

"Megumi!"

"Okay, okay. Each team goes through different competitions such as tests and quizzes and academic performances. Those kinds of things. It goes on for about a week and it's funded by different companies from all over the world. Depending on how far your team gets you could get scholarships and prizes." Megumi finished explaining and leaned calmly against the desk. Emiko's eyes shone with determination before she turned to Naruto who couldn't look more bored as he slept on his desk.

"NARUTO! Wake up!" Emiko slammed her palm on the desk causing the boy to jump feet into the air before crashing onto the floor with a loud groan.

"Nani?" Naruto groaned as his blue eyes shifted to Emiko who grinned down at him.

"Come on we're going to get scholarships."

**A/n: Thanks to Sailor Luna for helping me get the juices back and I hope you enjoy! Hopefully I'll have the next chapter out soon enough. .**

**-shyshi**


	18. Persuasion With a Word

"Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did."-Newt Gingrich

"Naruto!" Emiko pleaded as she followed the blonde down the school's hallway. He peeked over his shoulder at her before sharply turning back. Megumi giggled at the sight but heeded Emiko's glare and stopped. 'Why won't he just…stop being stupid?' Emiko demanded before she quickened her pace to walk level to the blonde.

"Come on! It's for a good cause!" Emiko tried her best to persuade him, her patience was wearing thin and she could not be held responsible for any actions she took if he were to refuse again.

"Iie! I'm not doing this competition with Sasuke-teme!" Naruto declared without a break in his step. "Any-" Naruto toppled from view and smacked into the floor. Emiko moved her foot out from under his ankles and crossed her arms.

"Naruto we need one more person and Uchiha is smart whether you want to admit it or not." Emiko said calmly now that she had his attention. Naruto sat up, rubbing his forehead as he tried to think.

"Naruto-san," both turned to Megumi who stood politely behind them with a look of amusement in her eyes. "If Sakura-san is placed on the team," at this Emiko noticed a significant brightness shining from his blue eyes. "Would you be willing to work with Uchiha-san?" Naruto nodded fervently but Emiko stepped in.

"Megumi, we only have 4 places and you've already agreed to be in our group." She pointed out, not wanting to take away Naruto's newfound enthusiasm but also desiring to know what was going on.

"Hai, I know. But I'll step back. There are other teams and I can join one that is one person shy." Megumi smiled sweetly before she sank practically a foot under Naruto's hug.

"Yay! I get to be with Sakura-chan! And I'll show her how great I am!" Naruto shouted happily. 'I thought he was getting over her…' Emiko stared blankly at the two of them before shrugging. 'Oh well…now we have a four person group!'

"How are you going to get Uchiha-san to join your group?" Megumi asked once Naruto had calmed down. Naruto turned to Emiko, his blue eyes expressing the same question although he seemed more hopeful she would fail.

"I'll bother him forever?" Emiko wasn't entirely sure how she was planning on persuading the stubborn Uchiha to join their group, she hadn't really thought about it.

"Well I'm sure you'll think of something." Emiko scowled at the twinkle in Megumi's hazel eyes. 'Damn her and her 'I know everything so let's ruin your mental state' abilities.' Emiko turned on her heel and strode away from the two, her mind working on different plans to recruit Sasuke.

'What I really need is blackmail…'

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Uchiha! Open up!" Emiko sighed and dropped her hand from the door. Once again Emiko had used Megumi as a ride although it was after the blonde's offer and she stood as patiently as possible before the Uchiha residence.

It had been seven minutes since the last time Sasuke opened the door and twenty minutes since they arrived at the house. At first he had calmly opened the door to listen to what she wanted but hearing the offer her flat out refused and shut the door in Emiko's face. Not really a smart move. Since then Emiko had gone through various stages of knocking depending on how long it had been since Sasuke had opened the door to tell her to go away.

"Emiko I don't think you're going to persuade him." Megumi chuckled from her stance beside her car. Emiko's shoulders dropped and she dragged her attention to Megumi who couldn't look more amused at the situation.

"Uchiha open up Megumi's killing me!" Emiko lied as she knocked softly on the door.

"Good." Sasuke's response was clear and close. Emiko's eyes widened as she heard the answer before she glared at the door.

"You're right behind the door aren't you?" It was more of a rhetorical question and Emiko sighed heavily. "Fine you jerk. But they give free scholarships and even if you don't want to waste time on a competition you're giving up a decent opportunity." Emiko scowled at the door before she turned on her heel. Before she could take a step away the door opened and she felt something grab the back of her shirt and jerk her into the house before the door shut again.

Emiko stumbled and fell to the ground but wasted no time in standing quickly to see Sasuke leaning against the wall beside the door. 'JERK! You were right there!' she thought in annoyance.

"So are you going to join?" Emiko asked hopefully, smiling faintly.

"Who else?" The question put Emiko on the spot and she shifted on her feet. 'Crap, if I tell him Naruto and Sakura he definitely won't join…' a fierce and swift mental battle between lying and telling the truth ended with a victorious lie.

"Not sure yet."

"Hn." Sasuke opened the door and pushed it open with his foot. "Out."

"Wait you just pulled me in to ask that and now you're kicking me out?" Emiko questioned, her annoyance rising in her voice.

"You're lying." Sasuke stated simply and Emiko nearly fell over once again. 'What is he, psychic!'

"Fine. Promise to join and then I'll tell you who the others are in our group." Emiko proposed, her fingers now crossed behind her back as she tried to use the best puppy dog face at her disposal which wasn't really something to be proud of.

"You're hiding something." Sasuke said blankly before he turned and began to walk down a hall away from the brunette.

"Because if I told you you would be a jerk and not join!" Emiko prophesized as she jogged after the teenager, her focus now upon wearing him out.

"Then why should I promise." Sasuke spoke and Emiko's eyes narrowed at his back before she sprinted around him to stop before him, her arms spread out to each side in hopes of keeping him in one place.

"Uchi-" She stopped as Sasuke turned into another room and closed the door effectively into her face causing her to jerk back to avoid being hit in the face. 'JERK!'

"Sasuke! Open the stupid door and just agree to join!" Emiko ordered angrily as she continued to knock on the door hoping at some point the Uchiha would simply give in. Hearing no response for minutes Emiko sighed, disappointed and annoyed as she began to walk shamefully back down the hall. 'Damn him…' She paused, realizing she'd accidentally called him Sasuke instead of her usual Uchiha. It felt comfortable but unnerving as well. She hadn't even realized it immediately nor did she feel upset about it. A small smile rose to her lips involuntarily.

"Emiko, I'll join." She spun around and grinned as Sasuke stood in the doorway, his arms crossed and his eyes blank as usual as he stared at the brunette. She let out a victorious shout before smiling broadly and waving to Sasuke as she sprinted down the hall

"We'll all sign up tomorrow Sasuke!" She yelled before darting out of the house.

**A/n: Hope you all enjoyed! Thanks to Sailor Luna8692 again for helping me along and go check out her stories! She might be changing some of her stories around but I have good faith they'll be great. . **

**The next few chapters will hopefully be out soon but not this weekend because I have a writing project for English that has to be done before I procrastinate even more. Sorry for the shortness I thought it would be a good place to end. **

**-shyshi**


	19. These Moments

"The purpose of life is to fight maturity."-Dick Werthimer

_Pencils scratched onto paper, the faint noises of their tips were the only sound in the classroom. Emiko sat nervously in her chair, her eyes trained on the paper lying before her. Even with her studying with Sakura and Megumi she found herself staring blankly at the problems, her mind reeling from confusion and frustration. _

Emiko sat calmly in her seat, her head buried in her arms. The silence of the room felt as though someone had smothered the students with a blanket. Her hands shook and she hastily grabbed her pencil to calm her nerves. A rattling noise shook the room and she hastily dropped the pencil, her face tinting red as she could feel the stares from the students. 'When are those stupid results coming back!'

_Logarithms…hyperbola and epicenters…Shakespeare stanzas…Ions and polar bondage between atoms…trigonometry and grammar…A nervous heat rose in Emiko face and she rubbed her temples. 'I hate school…' Several students stood and simply walked out, not bothering to turn in their answer sheets. The teams from five schools had been ordered to meet in a popular building for the preliminary testing, a guess of about half of the students were gone either from cheating or giving up._

Tilting her head she could see rows of students in varying forms of nerves, each trying to occupy their mind as they fidgeted in their seats. Two rows away a flash of familiar pink hair could be seen as Sakura was desperately trying to stay calm. Taking her chance to look up on each of her classmates Emiko rose slightly to see Naruto anxiously waiting in his seat, looking almost ready to jump from his seat and run to get the results himself.

"_Naruto stop being so loud!" Sakura ordered as they entered the building. To Emiko the building looked like an enlarged and well kept temple, with beautiful decorations and a small pond that was crossed by a small bridge. 'Sort of a weird place to have a competition…' Emiko thought to herself as she studied the front of the building. Once inside she realized that it was where the competing students would be staying, four to a room with girls in one section and boys in another. _

"_Once you are settled you are allowed to wander anywhere but to the opposite gender's section. The grounds are open but do not disturb anything." The instructor declared before he began to direct students to their rooms. _

_Emiko waited quietly, slightly swaying on her feet from a mixture of bored and sleepiness. Her mind drifted from the conversation but she kept one ear open for her name. Naruto waved and set off down a hall with his roommates, a irritable looking red head with a tattoo on his forehead, Shikamaru and a young man with round glasses and a friendly look. _

"_Emiko, come on." Emiko turned to Sakura to see her hurriedly motioning for Emiko to follow. "We're paired with two others." Emiko jogged after Sakura, following quietly through the hallways until Sakura turned into a room. Four mats were spaced evenly on the floor. On one wall there was a small window with a few into the grounds. Sakura claimed a bed and Emiko took the last one before she studied the two who were sitting quietly in the room. _

_On the bed across from Emiko's was a girl with sandy colored hair pulled into four ponytails. Her eyes were adverted to her bag as she ruffled through her things for something. The other girl was sitting cross-legged, contenting to reading a book. Her brunette hair was pulled back into two buns, she seemed friendly as she turned to them and smiled. _

"_I'm Tenten." She introduced herself and Sakura smiled happily before introducing herself and Emiko, who was busy searching for something. _

'I want to sleep…' Emiko thought dully before she turned her gaze to Sasuke who was sitting calmly his fingers laced at his chin. Her gaze lingered on his form, studying how he waited calmly, onyx eyes watching the wall blankly. Realizing she had been staring Emiko broke away her gaze and pushed away the tint on her cheeks before anyone could notice. 'I wasn't staring…I was…observing." A picture-like image of the teen showed in her mind and she let out a quiet groan before she buried her head in her arms.

"_Emi-chan come outside its fun!" Naruto's face popped into view for a brief moment. Emiko opened the door an inch to look out only to find a group of girls walking down the hall chattering away happily. _

"_Over here!" Sakura looked to the window to see Naruto flitting in and out of view, grinning the entire time. Tenten glanced at the blonde but said nothing as she continued to relax while their other teammate stood and left the room quietly. _

"_Naruto! Stop that!" Sakura reprimanded as Emiko opened the window. Waiting calmly Emiko giggled before she shot out her hand to poke Naruto on the forehead. The blonde disappeared from sight and Emiko chuckled as she peeked out the window to see Naruto sitting on the ground rubbing his forehead. _

"_Come outside I'm stuck with Sasuke-teme and it's BOR-ING." Naruto declared loudly. Emiko shrugged. 'I could see that being boring since they don't get along.' Emiko reasoned mentally before she turned to Sakura who was already eagerly at the door ready to go out and make a good impression on the others and Sasuke. _

"_Alright we'll be out now go run around." Emiko ordered before she rushed to follow Sakura out the door. _

'I want to goooooo. How long does it take to grade stupid tests!' harsh sounds of chairs scrapping against the floor boomed throughout the room and Emiko peered over to see students standing, leaving the room while muttering impatiently. Seeing their example a few others stood and deciding that they could be given their results later they left.

'Should I?' Emiko caught Sakura's gaze for a second before she looked back onto her desk. Her heart thumped against her chest and her hands shook nervously as she thought over the option. 'Standing up…walking in front of all those people…' Her eyes darted over the students still remaining, most were staring blankly. Her chair moved and Emiko felt her heart practically stop as it screeched in protest. In a flash Emiko hid her face in her folded arms, pretending to be asleep to avoid the stares while her face flushed red.

"_Sasuke-kun!" Emiko let out a low sigh as Sakura skipped to the Uchiha as he sat underneath a tree. His arms were folded against his chest and it seemed he was oblivious to the world as his head was bowed. Emiko let out a light sigh before turning to Naruto who was grinning happily as he jogged towards them. _

"_Sakura you might want to leave Sasuke alone since he's sleeping." Emiko commented carelessly before she turned to Naruto who wasted no time in challenging her to a race. Sakura's eyes softened before she nodded and contented herself to sitting beside him. 'She shouldn't sit so close,' Emiko thought to herself as she considered pushing them apart. 'Ah who cares.' She ordered herself to stop thinking about it and took a start position while Naruto began the loud countdown. _

"_Go…Yon…San…Ni…Ichi…"(5…4…3…2…1…)'Geez Naruto did you have to start from five?' Emiko thought to herself, slightly annoyed as she waited impatiently for the last of the deliberately slow countdown._

"_Juunana!(17)" Emiko interrupted noisily causing Naruto to nearly tip over from surprise. _

"_Juunana!" Naruto bellowed as he collected himself. Emiko laughed for a moment before she nodded calmly. _

"_It's my favorite number." She stated as though it was nothing before she returned to a mock track start position. _

"_Okay…go…" Emiko took off, laughing as she heard Naruto's yells of protest as her illegal start. _

The sound of a door opening squealed through the room and each student rose in their seat, peering around the room curiously for the source. At the front of the room stood the test's examiner, a rather surly and formidable looking man with scars running the length of his face named Morino. 'I'd hate to meet him in a dark alley.' Emiko pondered while mindless biting her pinkie nail. Stupid nerves.

"When we call out your group number you have failed. Each student's grade was added to that of their group members and judged according to a scale. If your group is called leave immediately and pack your things." Her spoke roughly to the crowd, his eyes hardening as he scanned over the groups.

'If we have Sasuke and Sakura they scored decently at least but what about Naruto and me?' Emiko began to mentally fret, continuing to anxious bite at her nails as group numbers were shouted out to the room, the members standing and walking out in various stages of disappointment and sadness. Her ears didn't seem to be working as everything became muffled and she clasped her hand over her ears to block out the sounds of a sobbing young girl as she was dismissed with her team.

It was only when Morino stopped speaking did she uncover her ears to warily glance around the room. 'Is it over?' Naruto seemed shaken but confident while the others seemed unchanged.

"Those who left are also to be disqualified." Morino stated clearly. "If a member isn't here those in his or her group must leave." At this a few students stood obviously upset at the news as they filed out quietly.

"Now to those still here. In one day at 7:00 a.m. sharp you are to report back here for the next assignments." Joy burst in Emiko and she let out a loud shout of happiness before crashing back into her seat under the glares of the fellow students. Her head felt as though it would explode from the sudden rush of blood and heat and she desperately tried to ignore the embarrassment. Silence deafened the room before Morino exited the room, his fellow colleagues following obediently. Instantly Naruto was jumping from his chair mimicking Emiko's former movements as he let out a woot in pure excitement.

"WE'RE IN!" He jumped over to Sakura in an attempt to hug her but the pink haired teen managed to dodge at the last minute causing Naruto to crash into the desk. Emiko could barely contain her excitement as she practically skipped over to her fellow team mates.

"Naruto high five!" Emiko declared as they both tried to high five only to miss each others hands in their apparent hyper active mode. Emiko chuckled before she looked to Sakura who was watching Sasuke as he stood feet away from them looking utterly bored.

"High five?" Emiko waved her hand in front of Sakura's face causing her to snap from her trance before giving Emiko a brief, half-hearted high five.

"High five Sasuke!" Emiko joked as she held her hand out. Minutes passed as they stayed in the same pose before Emiko glowered and smacked the Uchiha on the back of the head.

"Emiko! Don't hit Sasuke-kun!"

"Well he was being a jerk!"

"Not everyone is as childish as you and Naruto!"

"You did it too! What was it a momentary lapse in judgment!"

"Hai. I'm much more mature than that!" Sakura declared her hands on her hips as she tried to reinforce the fact that she was above petty child-hood things. 'Stupid crush on Sasuke…Sakura's better than this.' Emiko thought while glancing at the Uchiha who seemed annoyed at the situation but otherwise uncaring about it all.

"Sasuke-kun!" Emiko dropped her head in defeat, allowing it to land on Naruto's shoulder. She closed her eyes, willing away the sense of annoyance as Ino sprinted up to the group, latching onto Sasuke's arm with joyful stars in her eyes. Peeking at the sight Emiko's mouth twitched into a frown, wishing for something to yank Ino off Sasuke.

'Get off him…' Emiko blinked. 'Nani? I can't be thinking that. What do I care if they fight over him? Nothing. That's right. Nothing. Stupid clingy fan girls just annoy me is all.' Emiko lifted her head from Naruto's shoulder and sighed, rubbing her forehead wearily before she glanced to see Shikamaru, Kiba and Megumi standing calmly feet away from the display of fan girl affection.

Emiko waved to the three and Megumi smiled faintly before she mouthed 'talk later' and followed the boys on their way out to seek sleep and some food. Watching the others leave she turned her gaze to Naruto who was watching Sasuke jealously as Sakura and Ino continued to argue over him. 'Get away.' Emiko paused as she growled faintly in her throat, drawing Naruto's bright blue eyes to her with questions sparkling in the blue depths.

Hurriedly Emiko turned her gaze from him and let out an exaggerated sigh before strolling towards an exit. 'I have to get out of here…' Her thoughts focused on the door before her and her pace quickened before she sprinted for the door.

"Emi-chan?" Emiko brushed off Naruto's call and took in the fresh air. Wind brushed lovingly through her hair, dancing with her locks of hair and ruffling her clothes as she stood outside. A look of euphoria passed her face as she closed her eyes, smiling faintly and tilted her head towards the sky slowly gathering grey garments for the storm.

"What are you doing?" Emiko's eyes snapped open and she glimpsed over her shoulder to see Sasuke leaning against the building wall, his hands in his pockets and his onyx eyes staring blankly at her.

"Enjoying the moment." Emiko replied vacantly before gazing at the storms. The air was damp and welcoming. The wind swayed through the trees, ruffling budding out from under thin blankets of snow. "Haven't you ever just sat in the rain?" The idea of rain lightened her spirits more than the news of passing the test had the ability to.

"Of course not." Sasuke replied disdainfully.

"What about your fangirls?" Emiko chose to change the subject, hoping her dislike of the publicly affectionate girls wasn't too obvious. 'Sakura and Ino are better than gushing over him. They're both smart and pretty and they were good friends.' Emiko thought to herself before she stepped further away from the building and sat on the ground.

"Hn." Emiko rested on her hand and stared at the sky, praying for pricks of rain.

"Would you care to join?" Emiko questioned in a joking manner, secretly wondering about his obvious lack of interest in making conversation. The company was welcomed in her mind but she refused to move her eyes as she didn't want to watch him walk away.

'Don't leave…' Emiko pleaded silently, a dash of hope rising before it crashed to the melody of his footsteps walking away. 'Jerk…' she thought half-heartedly to herself, blinking as she felt minute drops of water tickle her skin. Looking around visible raindrops could be seen dropping softly to earth. It was gentle melody and Emiko managed a soft genuine smile at the sight.

"Nemuri-chan come on." Emiko's eyes fell on a huddled group of girls as they walked away from the building, hands held over their heads in an attempt to hide from the rain. Her thoughts became tainted as she studied their clothes, fashionable and pretty, something that flattered their forms as they made their giggling way past Emiko.

Each had a starved look of model proportions and perfection. Angered at their appearance Emiko wished to throw insults but restrained herself to instead try to find fault in the beautiful girls passing by.

'Why couldn't I be like that?' Emiko pondered as she pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs while her chin rested on her knees. 'With perfection? Instead of being tall and skinny. And pale. And with messy hair.' Emiko hated those girls who could get a boy's attention with a simply flirtatious glance. She knew she shouldn't. Sakura was like them, pretty and popular. So was Ino. Even Hinata was pretty when she wasn't hiding. But Emiko?

'Ha, I'm every guy's little sister.' She thought scornfully. Thunder clapped over head for her attention and she stared at the darkening sky like a child watched its beloved mother. Raindrops kissed her face, bringing a smile to her lips as they rolled softly over her face, washing away her jealousy. 'Be positive.' She promised herself as she allowed herself to lull half asleep in the comfort of the rain.

"You're wet." Emiko jumped from shock and landed on her back, feeling the immediate chill as the back of her shirt was soaked in rain. Sasuke's face came into view over hers, his eyes calm and serious as he looked down upon her.

"Now more than before thanks to you." Emiko replied before she stuck out her tongue and gingerly pushed herself to her feet. Sasuke stepped back and Emiko shifted as his black eyes surveyed the damage.

"You're going to get sick." He stated and Emiko sighed. 'It was worth it.' She thought to herself, half tempted to tell him such. Before she could say anything something warm grasped her hand and she felt Sasuke tug her away from the building towards their temporary home.

His hold was firm and Emiko followed quietly, not wanting to break the connection by speaking, it was comforting to feel the warmth in her hand something she didn't feel often. She stayed a step behind until they reached the house and Sasuke opened the door. Emiko stepped inside, feeling the faint chill as the Uchiha released her hand and closed the door behind her before he walked down the hall towards the boy's section.

'Arigatou.' She thanked him silently before removing her shoes and hurriedly making her way through the halls towards her room. Nearing the door she could hear yelling inside, the voices were recognizable and she instantly opened the door to see Sakura attempted to shove Naruto out backwards through the window. Naruto looked less than pleased as he desperately tried to plead with Sakura to stop.

"I have a wedgie!" Naruto yelled and Emiko strained a laugh at the look of plight upon his face. "Stop it Sakura-chan! It's raining outside!" Hearing the last sentence Emiko's imagination began to churn and she burst into laughter drawing pair's attention to her as she stood, hunched over from laughing, in the doorway.

"Emi-chan! Let me in! It's cold outside!" Naruto pleaded and Emiko fought for breath before managing to calm herself.

"Naruto! This is the girls section! If they catch you we could get disqualified!" Sakura yelled at the blonde's idiocy.

"Not if I don't get caught!" Naruto protested, his arms now folded over his chest and a steamed look on his face.

"We can't take that chance!" Sakura retorted furiously, making another attempt to shove Naruto back out the window. Emiko giggled, trying to reign in the laughter at the sight of Sakura hammering her shoulder into Naruto to try and force him out while Naruto tried to squirm his way back in. 'Sakura has a point though…'

"Both of you calm down or you're going to attract more attention!" Emiko commanded and the pair both fell silent. The door snapped shut behind her as she stepped into the room, setting her shoes aside while she peeled her sleeve from her arm. "Naruto you have to leave because-" she held up a hand to silence the blonde's obvious protests. "One. If we get caught we could get in a lot of trouble and we can't risk it and two, I need to change and I don't want to do that in front of you." A pout came to Naruto's face before he squirmed backwards.

"I'm stuck." Naruto grinned sheepishly before he shrugged dramatically. "So I guess you have to change later." 'Baka won't just give up.' Emiko thought. Her mind passed over ideas of what to do before she decided to bluff.

"Naruto I'm changing _now_." She stared at him stiffly and watched as the blonde's eye twitched. 'Geez Naruto thanks for the confidence boost.' Emiko scowled at the boy, waiting for him to leave the window space. "Now Naruto!" Her patience was wearing and she fidgeted under her wet shirt, feeling the uncomfortable twisting as it stuck to her skin.

"You're bluffing!" Naruto accused, pointing a shaking finger at the brunette. Emiko's eyes flickered to Sakura who nodded and raised a fist before punching Naruto in the face. Hard. The blonde popped out the window and Emiko sighed before Sakura locked the window and declared she was going to get food. Once the door was shut Emiko hastily peeled off her shirt and quickly grabbed a replacement just in time to hear the door open. Hastily she pulled the shirt over her head and shoved her arms through as the door opened to reveal Sasuke.

"What is it with all the boys!" Emiko practically yelled as she jerked the bottom of her shirt down to cover her stomach. "Why don't you knock! I was changing!" Onyx eyes locked with hers and she watched impatiently as the Uchiha seemed undisturbed by her outburst.

"Hn. Not like there would've been anything to see anyway." Sasuke commented dryly. Emiko face flushed before she grabbed a pillow and launched it at the Uchiha standing in her doorway. 'Jerk.' She thought absent-mindedly to herself as she tossed her wet shirt into her bag.

Suddenly something hit her in the side of her head causing her to topple to the ground with a quiet grunt. Glancing around her eyes landed on the pillow and she looked up to see Sasuke staring at her with…amusement?

"I hope someone, someday stabs you with a raisin." Emiko muttered darkly causing Sasuke to blink from surprise at the randomness of the statement. 'That's right! A raisin! A frickin' raisin! That's how you deserve to die!' Emiko yelled mentally at the dark haired teen.

"The dobe left a note saying to come here." Sasuke seemed to have finally decided to inform the world of the reason for his sudden arrival. Emiko raised a brow in suspicion and she shrugged finally.

"He was here…" She murmured aloud, glancing down at her hand as she remembered a warmth.

A loud crash broke their conversation and Emiko cringed as she heard a familiar loud voice.

"And he still is! Come on guys we're going to play a game." Naruto seemed oblivious to Emiko as she gradually tilted her head to gaze at the boy who had wedged himself in the room window for a second known time. The door opened and Sakura stood still, her mind failng to notice Sasuke as she glowered at the blonde.

"Baka! Stop breaking into our room! Pervert!" Naruto let out a small, surprisingly girlish squeak before he disappeared from the window as Sakura jumped after him with murderous intent. Emiko sighed, her head held in her hand as the sounds of Sakura and Naruto could be heard clearly through the now open window. 'This is going to be a long competition...'

**A/n: heh, not as good as I wished it would be. At least, not the ending. That could've been better. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. reviews are welcome, notes are welcome, oranges are welcome. Next chapter coming some other time! Thanks to Sailor Luna for your emails! They're always fun. .**

**-shyshi **


	20. Ordered Promises

"Apathy is one of the characteristic responses of any living organism when it is subjected to stimuli too intense or too complicated to cope with. The cure for apathy is comprehension."-John Dos Passos 

The wind invaded the room swiftly through the open window and Emiko hurried to her feet to close the window once again. As it was locked Emiko sighed, leaning against the wall before she slid down to the ground.

"You locked them out." Sasuke pointed out causing Emiko to jump as she'd seemingly forgotten he was there. Emiko leaned forward and closed her eyes, desperately wanting some silence as she listened to the soft tapping of the rain on the windowpane.

"I know…but they can both come in through doors so it's okay." Emiko muttered, ignoring the itching sensation on her nose as she yawned. Opening one eye she regarded the Uchiha with a sense of surprise. 'Weird…he's still here…'Emiko thought to herself but smiled slightly none the less.

"Why are you still here?" Emiko asked, not bothering to hide her curiosity. Sasuke blinked and Emiko watched as he smirked at her causing her to raise a brow in curiosity.

"Do you want me to leave so you can have other guys in here?" Sasuke questioned, his tone suggesting his belief that she had nothing better to do. Emiko gave him a flat glare as a response before she smirked.

"Hai. Now leave." She stood to her feet and held onto his shoulders before she attempted to turn him. It wasn't hard to turn him as she guessed from his faintly widened eyes that he was surprised by her response and he wasn't paying attention for the two seconds it took her to turn him to the door. However, moving him out seemed to become a mammoth task as she strained to shove him just an inch.

"Sasuke come on stop being difficult." Emiko turned and pressed her back to his to hopefully propel him out the door. 'Geez does he have to be so childish?' Emiko felt him shift seconds before he disappeared from behind her causing her to stumble back and crash towards the floor. Inches before she landed she felt a hand grasp around her wrist and she gently slid onto the floor, staring at Sasuke in confusion at his actions.

"You're confusing." Emiko stated as they watched each other. Neither changed, like a frozen picture they stayed, Emiko sitting on the ground her wrist held onto by Sasuke who stood in front of her.

"Hn." Sasuke replied quietly and released her wrist to lean on a wall. Emiko's former bewildered look switched quickly to one of annoyance as she studied the Uchiha now refusing to leave her room.

"Sasuke if you get caught in here not only will we get in trouble but I will die. **Die**." She emphasized the last work creatively while accompanying the sentence with gestures of begging. 'I don't want him to leave but he has to. Damn him and his stupid stubbornness.' Emiko had accepted that she enjoyed his company but now wasn't the time for him to invite himself to hours of friend time when they were in the middle of a competition. Silently Emiko translated the emotion in his black eyes and sighed before she explained her statement.

"Your fan girls would kill me if they heard you were in my room. And I room with Sakura so please don't make me die. I have things I want to do before I die." She jokingly pleaded for her life, motioning still from her sitting position for him to leave.

(**Point of view change…or perspective change to Sasuke) **

Coal black eyes burned into her head as Sasuke stood calmly and firmly in his place, silently refusing to leave the room. The idea of leaving so she could have other guys in, while it was in jest, wasn't amusing in the slightest to him and his mind was tinkering quickly on the questions reeling in his mind like a well directed horror movie.

"Sasuke, seriously." Her eyes rose to his and he quickly latched onto the gaze, staring at the eyes that contrasted so vividly. Sapphire and Chocolate. Water and earth. It was amazing to see two such different personalities co-existing inside the girl now standing before him. She was calm but easily angered. Caring but defensive and out of reach. Grounded to the earth by her thoughts and reasons while she would also sit out in the rain to stare at the sky.

He smirked, remembering how he had left her sitting in the rain, determined not to care if she caught pneumonia. Yet he'd found himself wandering the halls aimlessly before he had finally returned, grateful to see her still there, something constant in his life besides hatred. Her face had been tilted to the sky, her pale lips curved into a gentle smile as her eyes were closed in contentment while the rain gently slid over her face. For moments he had waited before finally stepping up to her, unsure exactly of what to say.

"Uchiha!" Emiko's voice cut his thoughts to ribbons, the shreds crumbling from his mind as he noticed the hand waving in front of her face. It took him a second to recall what she had said and he frowned slightly. A familiar feeling of anger and annoyance rejoined him like an old companion as her hand continued to wave in his face. Without hesitation he grabbed it. Sudden and welcomed warmth graced his hand and he held onto it, his eyes now fastened to Emiko's widened ones as she looked between the clasped hands and his face.

"Uchiha." Again the anger prickled at the formality he had thought they'd conquered back at his house when they'd first called each other by name. He remembered the sense of contentment as he was finally allowed to hear her call his name with a sense of care, something he'd heard often when she spoke to others.

"Stop calling me that." Sasuke ordered, his voice hissing out to express his dislike of the formality she had reverted to using. Immediately her mouth closed and he watched as her brow furrowed in an emotion between annoyance and confusion. Which ever it was Sasuke didn't care, it wasn't his problem to accommodate to her emotions at the moment as he was having enough troubles considering his own.

Her hand shifted and he closed his eyes to shove away the thoughts the feeling of her skin had provoked. He couldn't…Mentally he frowned at the idea, not bothering to care and notice if his face was displaying his mental turmoil. He didn't care for her…He couldn't. His eyes snapped open and he noticed Emiko had calmed to standing silently in front of him, her eyes darting over his face in apparent worry while he held her hand.

'Iie…iie…Iie!'

"Iie!" The word had slipped from his mouth, the ferocity in the simple syllable clearly shocking Emiko as she attempted to step back, her eyes wide in confusion and laced with fear. Feeling her hand slip away, her smooth skin sliding against his, he tightened his hold, refusing to release her and forcing her to stand before him.

"Tonight." Conflictions began to battle in his body, like a stranger to his thoughts he tried to force them away, trying to seek a haven from what he knew and wanted to refuse. 'This isn't…' His fingers laced between hers, feeling the brief fragility as he noticed how her slender fingers slipped amongst his like perfect spies.

"Uc-" Her voice stopped under his glower. Formalities were gone. "Sasuke, what are you going on about?" Despite the position and her unmasked worry her voice was as strong as before, whether because she wasn't afraid or because she refused to show it Sasuke didn't care to ponder the possibilities. His eyes darted over her face, chartering each line and curved before he repeated his words.

"Tonight. By the bridge. 11:52." His tone conveyed his determination that his command be obeyed. No response and he jerked on her hand, feeling her stumble forward a step closer to him.

"Not until you tell me what's going on!" Emiko's voice rose in agitation and he smirked at the fire fanning in her eyes. He hadn't expected her to take his order without question but he wasn't in a state to listen to a child's bickering over rules. Instead he squeezed her hand in his, feeling the momentary warmth he cherished before he slipped pulled away.

"Show." With that he left, ignoring the small constriction in his chest as he snapped the door shut behind him. This wasn't going to happen to him, he swore, partially infuriated at the turn of events he had never seen coming, never bothered to prepare for.

'Damn you Emiko.'

**Hehe, that was fun to write. And now! For the cruel statement by me- teh next chapter will not be uploaded until I get more than one comment 25 reviews. Cruel? Yes. I hate doing this but I want to know if there are things I can improve on because there are 20 hits on my last chapter and I uploaded it like a day ago. So either Sailor Luna(love ya .) is reading this 20 times or I have other readers. I'm not trying to be evil honestly I hate bribing for reviews but I want to know what people think and what are things I can improve on. **

**Thank you,**

**-shyshi **


	21. Always

**A/n: okay fine so I couldn't hold up the threat. I guess I like posting up the story more than any reviews...xP But I still want some! I want to know if there are things I should improve on or what I could do better. Anyway, enjoy this isn't about 11:52 but more between Naruto and Emi-chan. **

**-shyshi**

"Pride sullies the noblest character."-Claudianus

The sidewalks were damp, scattered raindrops still falling to dot the ground while those outside slowed their pace in the light rain. Outside the residency building, standing quietly on the bridge spanning over the quaint pond stood a quiet Emiko, her arms on the railing of the bridge and leaning forward to study the water below. Not many of the competitors were out, their rooms seeming more comfortable as they spent their time with friends while the storm clouds continued to flash and drum idly with the wind.

Scents of the fading rain wafted gently through the air and Emiko closed her eyes, taking a full breath of the atmosphere. The wood creaked as she shifted on her feet. Breaking from her bliss she rested her cheek on her palm, thoughts dancing through her mind as she followed the fish in the pond with a dazed interest.

'What's going on?' She let out a sigh and allowed her forehead to softly thud onto the wooden railing. 'This is all so confusing!' As if in response her hand tingled, almost imitating the warmth it had formerly felt when a familiar Uchiha had grasped it.

'11:52…' She thought to herself. 'What's with the random time? Midnight would be a lot more romanti-' She stopped, softly tapping her head to jumble the thoughts from her head. 'This is so aggravating!' A low growl rumbled in the back of her throat, almost expressing her annoyance and agitation at what had become of her life. 'I can't actually like him…right?' To her increased emotional stress her hand twitched, curling with its pair in an imitation of how their hands had combined.

Her head swirled in flurries of emotions each as confusing as the last one, none of them willing to peacefully reconcile inside her while she tried to refute any statement her thoughts pushed forward. 'Do I…like him?'

"I'm screwed." Emiko muttered, desperately trying to pull her hands apart although it seemed her body had disconnected from her orders. 'It's not as comfortable as when Sasuke held my hand.' Emiko groaned profusely at her sudden inability to control herself.

"Are you okay?" Emiko jerked upright and felt her gaze lock with bright sapphire eyes. A warm smile rose to her lips as she watched Naruto grin and stand beside her, leaning against the railing while watching the fish with honest happiness.

"Hai…just a little confused is all." She professed honestly as she copied his movements and stared at the ripples shaking the water's surface with grace. Time ticked away carelessly, both enjoying the others company.

"What are you confused about?" Finally the blonde asked, turning his head so he could see the brunette beside him, her eyes never leaving the water as she exhaled. 'What do I tell him?' Naruto had always been someone who had been able to comfort her and make her laugh; the idea of him becoming upset worried her. They'd been friends for too long for someone as trivial as Sasuke to break them apart. Yet, she worried it would. 'I can't loose him.' She promised before tilting her gaze to Naruto.

"I'm afraid I might like someone." She couldn't keep his gaze for long as she swiftly looked to the railing, her fingers entwining in front of her.

"Is it Sasuke-tori?" His tone was dark and serious, suggested with pain that forced Emiko to lock her eyes onto her hands.

"Sasuke-tori?" Chuckling, Emiko gathered herself enough to glimpse the boy beside her. His eyes were straight ahead and Emiko felt her stomach drop from existence at the guise in his eyes. Not void of emotion but rather burdened with it, with disappointment and a sense of unbridled anger as he attempted to burn a hole into the pond. Hearing her question the tips of his lips twitched into a small smile before his eyes cloaked in happiness and he grinned.

"Hai! Since he has such a weird haircut!" The smile faltered yet Emiko couldn't help but chuckle at the reasoning. Just as swiftly as the moment had come it fled, leaving them both in a somber silence.

"It's Sasu-jerk isn't it?" Her heart fell to join her stomach in an abyss and she found herself furiously shaking her head while forcing a giggle from her mouth. 'Lie.'

"Why would you think that?" Emiko almost whipped her forehead in relief as her voice never cracked to display the thoughts caked behind the lie.

"Because every girl likes him." Naruto replied solemnly. "Sakura-chan likes him and he doesn't even like her." His brow knitted in apparent anger as he refused to stop staring at the water.

'And he likes her,' Emiko pondered, wondering why her pink haired friend hadn't ever noticed the kind blonde waiting eagerly for her to return his affection. 'Although Hinata had a small crush on him not too long ago. I don't know if she still does though…' She allowed the idea to drift and fade from focus.

"Iie." The familiar furling of nerves and conscious was forcibly shoved away as she strained to maintain her light tone. 'It's not lying if it's true.' She found even her most desperate self not believing her thoughts. 'I can't…like him. Iie.'

Hearing the response the atmosphere clearly brightened, the aromas of the gently falling rain returning in a comforting blanket around the two friends. Beside her Emiko could practically see a second sun shining from Naruto's glee.

"Who then!" He hopped onto the bridge's railing and laughed as he noticed heat rise to Emiko's face. He couldn't restrain the urge to tease her as he let out a long cooing noise to efficient cause Emiko to glower and tint rosily. 'Damn it I hate it when he does that.' She playfully shoved his arm.

"Not telling. And I'm not even sure if I like him so ha." Emiko shuddered as she released a long hallow breath, refusing to acknowledge Naruto's fox like grin.

"Well why do you think you might like him?" Naruto chose another approach to his long awaited teasing opportunity. Her eyes trained on a small fish darting up for air, softening her gaze she smiled and turned up to Naruto.

"Things just remind me of him." She wondered if that made sense and under Naruto's confused expression she decided to continue. "And," She paused, wondering how she would explain the foreign thoughts when she herself barely could decipher their meaning. "I enjoy being around him. He held my hand earlier." Her fingers traced over the curves of her hand before moving as though to wash away the feeling. "And my heart kind of skipped. I didn't want him to let go." Once again Naruto beamed before jumping down and slinging his arm over her shoulders.

"Emi-chan has a crush!" He cheerfully proclaimed in a sing song voice causing Naruto to quickly seal his loud mouth with her hand, the heat rising at break neck speed to her face.

"Naruto! Shut up!" Even covered she could feel him laughing into her hand before she rolled her eyes and pulled away, turning from the blonde to express her annoyance.

"Oh come on Emi-chan. It's okay." Naruto comforted her as he once again wrapped his arm playfully around her shoulders, jostling her as a brother would. "Now you can finally get a boyfriend after rejecting all those guys!" The surprising upbeat melody of his voice was overshadowed by an ironic clap of thunder over head causing the pair to look to the shrouded skies with raised brows.

Emiko was the first to laugh as she shoved Naruto away. "Maybe it's a sign." She joked causing the blonde to scratch his head.

"Well I think it's funny that you like someone." Emiko rolled her eyes once again at the statement, desperately trying to reign in her smile. 'He's such a little kid.'

"How so?" Emiko murmured as he rejoined her against the railing, this time the pair leaning their back against it while Emiko crossed her arms before her.

"Because now I can tease you!" Naruto declared with a wide grin, ducking just in time to avoid Emiko's hand as she tried to smack the back of his head.

"Baka, I'm not going to do anything about it." Emiko realized a quick topic change was in order and she quickly filed through ideas before selecting something adequate. "Anyway you should be more focused on Sakura and Sasuke." At this determination flew into Naruto's blue eyes and he nodded resolutely. Her lips turned into a grin before she ruffled her fingers through his hair.

"Emi-nee-chan-" Naruto's nose scrunched as he stepped away shuffling his hand through his hair.

"Nee-chan?" Emiko chuckled as she noticed Naruto's eyebrows rose in a pleading motion. 'He looks like a lost puppy that way.' Emiko thought as she noticed how perfected his begging look could be.

"You're the closest thing I have to a sister although you're more like a mother-" Emiko feigned indignation, her hand clutching the section of shirt above her heart as she took a step back.

"I'm hurt! Are you calling me old!" She pretended to be insulted although found it steadily more difficult as she tried to refrain from laughing as the color dropped from Naruto's face. 'Either I'm a good actress or he's not noticing I'm playing.' Emiko pondered the thought quietly before she grinned to reassure Naruto she wasn't truthfully angry or upset.

"Why won't you do anything when you like someone?" Emiko cringed as she heard the question, her hope of evading the subject stumbling until it shattered on the bridge.

"Simple. Friends before love. Always." She declared monotonously, her voice slightly unsettling as her eyes were whipped blank of any emotion. Naruto shifted on his feet.

"Always?" He questioned, his tone not to be mistaken for surprise but it was rather hope that he had heard wrong. 'I'm not going to be another girl. And I'm not going to loose friends over a boy.' As if set in stone Emiko finalized the pact, her stubbornness beginning to set in as she stared with full fledged determination at a tree in the distance.

In the back, hidden cavern of her thoughts she knew it wasn't just to protect her friendships but more out of fear and hatred for herself.

'I can't. I won't be another one of those girls.' She promised, a small sense of despair pecking at her heart, peeling the muscle apart as it beat in her chest. 'I'm throwing away another opportunity…But I won't be another girl.' The idea threaded needles through her lungs. To think of possibly throwing away another opportunity at love she'd always wished for while watching aged couples.

Yet she knew it was finalized. Just as the blonde standing beside her, his eyes fringed with worry and sadness, knew it. Now, more for her pride and foolish spite she swore to never back down on those words.

"Always."


	22. 11:52

"Between too early and too late, there is never more than a moment." -Franz Werfel

The storm had increased in the waning day, as night began to set in it continued the electric dance between the heavens. Tress swayed in the wind like a silent audience waving its hands to a beat, each shedding blankets of water from their limbs and budding leaves.

Standing, shadowed by a tree was a boy, his face shrouded by his dark locks that clung to his face through the rain. A sudden beeping broke the air and his head tilted until his eyes spied the florescent light shining from his digital watch. As if obeying his thoughts the light stopped and the watch ceased its high pitched chimes.

'11:52' Sasuke thought to himself, partially dreading the time as his feet carried him to the bridge. Seeing no one there he melted back into the shadow of a tree, his onyx eyes never leaving the spot as the rain tapped heavily on the wood. Searing light clashed overhead as followed quickly by thunder. 'I shouldn't do this.' His foot stepped back, almost bowing to his urge to simply run.

But he didn't. He knew he wouldn't. He couldn't. As much as he needed to leave he needed to stay, to wait, albeit impatiently, until she showed. It had taken him countless arguments in his thoughts, each as strained and desperate as the last. His fingers curled by his side, even in the biting cold he could remember the way her hand had fallen into his.

Those thoughts, they were the reason he was here. They had to be gone they were intruders into his mind. The sanctuary that he had kept so clean and focused for years was tainted by those ideas that stowed away in his conscious. 'I'll prove I don't care for her.' He thought, his hand pressing roughly into the tree to shock away the memory.

Minutes passed and his impatience began to break as he watched the bridge in disguised anticipation. Gradually with each second his hope at resolving the matter seemed to sneak away only to be replaced by anger at the girl who was causing him so many problems. His clothes were beyond soaked but he waited, resolving to leave if she didn't appear before his anger snapped.

His watch chirped again, signaling midnight and his fingernails dug into the tree's bark, chipping the wet wood under his nails. He turned, giving the bridge one last scornful look before he began to stride away.

Another shot of lightening lit the sky and a distance droll of thunder rumbled in the distance. Glancing blankly at the storm above him he continued to walk, ignoring the rain patting onto his head and running streams over his face.

"Sasuke!" His foot stopped in mid-step and he glanced disbelievingly over his shoulder to see her standing there, drenched, shivering and panting as though she'd run 50 miles to reach that spot. The edges of his lips tipped intoa comfortable smirk as he watched Emiko rest a shaking hand on the railing and drop to the floor, leaning against the side before her hand slipped from the railing into her lap. Darknesswas thrust overhalf of her face, shrouding her blue eye and casting her brown into a fierce light as lightening struck through the clouds. Slowly her eyes closed and she leaned against the bridge while she placed a hand over her soaked shirt to rub her neck.

Seeing the opportunity Sasuke stepped silently forward, like a shadow himself

as she was unaware to his gaze until he stepped onto the bridge with a soft tap. His hands rested in his pockets, his coal colored eyes never leaving the girl sitting before him. Hearing the sounds her eyes snapped open to see him standing before her. Instantly she was on her feet, rubbing the back of her head nervously while she attempted a small smile.

"I lost track of time. I came as fast as I could." Sasuke watched as the rain broke on her head, tears of the storm gently gliding down her face. 'Stop that.' He ordered himself, quickly forcing himself to remember why he was there. 'To show you don't care.'

"Sasuke we should probably go inside." Emiko murmured, her voice almost overwhelmed by thunder that reigned overhead. Studying her clothes it was clear they were both soaked, her hair was darkened to almost black in the mix of nighttime and rain. The only light was of the residency building lamps, casting a warm glow to her dampened face. Sasuke was sure he looked almost the same and Emiko shivered as the wind lashed at them. He refused to show anything as the wind swirled around them and stepped closer to her.

"Sasu-" Sasuke held the sides of her face and hurriedly claimed her lips. A taste, to find how imperfect she was. It had been the idea, the gesture behind his appearance, he was going to be disgusted by her and never think of her again. The thought surprisingly never entered his mind as he felt her step back against the railing of the bridge, her motions expressing the surprise her mouth couldn't. As he began to pull away,thoughts began to invade his mind for a split second. They only lasted a split second before theywere tossed aside carelessly as she moved forward, not willing to let him leave her.

Rather than the blessed thoughts of disgust at her motion he felt himself welcoming the motion, his thoughts only of how her lips tasted faintly like oranges. Finally he pulled away and stepped back, his mind reeling from what had happened as Emiko adverted her eyes, her eyes slipping into shadow and out of his gaze.

'Shit.' Sasuke cursed as he couldn't find a shred of disdain in his head for the girl standing before him, her hand shaking nervously as a pregnant silence begged to be broken between them. Rain dropped down her face, gliding over her pale lips and he forced himself to take another step away from the source of his problems. 'I...' This was supposed to show he didn't care! Sasuke felt anger boiling in his stomach and his hands curled into fists. 'This wasn't supposed to happen...'

Without a second glance back he took off, ignoring the noise of surprise from the girl he left behind.

**A/n: So what do you think? I might do another 11:52 chapter from Emiko's perspective. I kind of like this chapter but it's the first kissing scene I've written so I wasn't sure. Sasu-jerk is being stupid leaving a poor confused Emiko back on the bridge. Review pleeasie**

**-shyshi**


	23. Pain Sprinkled With Cinnamon

How helpless we are, like netted birds, when we are caught by desire!"-Belva Plain

Silence can cause the most confusion. The most pain. The most anger.

Emiko stood there, her hand almost supporting half her weight as her knees buckled, the rain falling around her, running in steadily streams down her face. Wind swept through again and she felt a small shiver run up her spine. Staring ahead she blinked, wondering if she'd imagined it all.

Her feet pounded on the ground, the rain soaking her clothes as she ran towards the bridge. A flash of lighting pierced the sky, revealing the structure to be empty, the only company around were the puddles of rain. 'I can't believe I lost track of time!' Emiko thought, mentally berating herself as she stumbled onto the bridge.

"Sasuke!" She yelled, gasping for breath. She's run all the way from the other side of the building. Her legs burns, her face stung from the rain and her lungs felt all to ready to explode but she didn't care. He couldn't have left, could he? Hastily she spun, ignoring the stings as her hair whipped into her face. Her desperation grew as she frantically searched the ground, her breathing becoming steadily more irregular as she realized he was gone.

Guilt wore steadily into her limbs as she held onto the railing of the bridge, her strength evaporating as she collapsed to the ground with a small 'thump', her hand quickly slipping from the railing to fall into her lap.

Once again lightning struck and she blinked, feeling a quiet burning in her throat as she tried to steady her breathing. 'I can't believe it,' She closed her eyes, trying to wish away the moment. Desperately she tried to ignore the bricks of guilt slamming into her, her head throbbing by a sudden head ache. She leaned against the bridge, feeling the slight chill as her skin connected to the sodden wood and rubbed her neck.

'He's going to hate me,' the idea sunk into her stomach, churning painfully like acid through her system. 'I don't want him to hate me…' Her thoughts slowly turned to ridicule, laced with sudden self hate as she pictured vividly, Sasuke standing there, waiting for her. 'I-'

A muted pat struck into her mind and her eyes snapped open, her eyes widening faintly as they recognized the person standing before her. Immediately she stood, ignoring the quiet sounds of protest from her body, the desire to sleep growling like an unfed animal in her mind.

"I lost track of time. I came as fast as I could." She explained nervously, almost stammering before she managed to calm herself. Emiko paused, hearing no response and watched the boy curiously, wondering what was going on. He was drenched, his clothes hugged to his frame while his hair clung to his face as she searched his eyes.

"Sasuke we should probably go inside." Another crash of lightning and thunder and she spoke nervously, her voice shifting an octave lower as she stared at him. A moment drifted away, and she wondered if he'd heard her over the thunder. Wind lashed at their bodies sending another wave of shivers through her spine but he seemed uncaring, his face remaining stoic and he stepped forward, his eyes never leaving hers. Nerves frayed at their ends, her eyes desperately yearning to turn away, to leave his.

"Sasu-" The name died in her mouth as she felt the sudden warmth of his lips on hers. Shock riddled her mind as she stepped back, noticing only faintly as she backed into something. It was demanding and desperate, something she wouldn't have expected from Sasuke but it seemed to fit as she felt thoughts drown from her mind.

She felt a rush of cold air as his lips left and she leaned forward as though by nature, closing the gap. It felt so right. She didn't want him to leave. The sudden shock of emotions broke through as she relished the feeling, cherishing the faint taste of cinnamon on his lips.

Suddenly he pulled away, the air cutting into her lips at the sudden absence of his. Unable to look at him, not wanting to see the cold look of emptiness on his face she stared at the ground, focusing instead on the puddles dancing in ripples from rain.

The bridge creaked as she heard him take another step back and she felt a painful jolt as her heart seemed to stop, her mouth slightly open as she scrambled for words. 'I-' Nothing seemed to fit anymore. Opening her mouth a little more she grasped the words, no searching frantically for the courage to look him in the eye.

Before she could speak she heard the sounds of his footsteps. Running away…

Her head snapped up, her eyes wide in confusion and pain as she let out a small noise of anguish, her body frozen on the bridge as she watched him disappear.

'Sasuke…'

**A/n: holds up conductor baton everyone: awwwww. me: now chorus. Chorus: Sasuke-jerk! Anyway yeah so this one's shorter(hell a lot shorter) than my normal length but since it's only the previous chapter from Emiko's perspective I'm guessing it's okay. Yeah in '11:52' Emiko tastes like oranges and cinnamon but I changed it. **

**enjoy-shyshi**


	24. Adaption By Force

"We do not stop playing because we grow old.  
We grow old because we stop playing." -Anonymous

Feeble sunlight filtered through the curtains, the beams weakening before they struck a young teenager in the face, slapping her repeatedly into reality. Emiko groaned, burying her head between her arms as she tried to ignore the wake up call.

"Emiko." It seemed dreamy at first as the person called softly to her, a gently poking in her side meaning the person was trying to prod her awake. Abruptly it stopped as she felt something smack into her head. Hard. Instantly she sat up, rubbing her head and turning to see her blonde roommate walking out of the room smirking in satisfaction.

'Evil…' Emiko glared, her mind gradually awakening to the world as she blinked, rubbing her eyes before she remembered what had happened. With a loud moan of protest she flopped back, crashing back amongst her pillows, faintly wishing if she hit her head hard enough she'd never have to get out of bed. 'How do I face him?' She stared at the ceiling for what felt like minutes before Sakura's familiar face appeared in her view.

"Emiko come on you have to get up." She encouraged, gently shaking her as she tried to persuade the brunette to sit up. Emiko opened her mouth, considering just blurting out she didn't want to see him today but realized instantly it would be a bad idea. Sitting up she rubbed her forehead, images flashing through her head as she pictures what Sakura's reaction would've been.

'This is so…damn it!' She thought as she pulled herself out of bed and grabbed her clothes to change. Sakura left to search out Naruto as it seemed unanimously agreed he wouldn't want to wake up. Emiko glanced warily at a miniature alarm clock Sakura brought and yawned as she read 6:30.

'It's too early for this.' Emiko winced as she stepped into the hallway, pinning herself against the wall as a group of girls ran past her laughing amongst themselves. Emiko sighed, running a hand nervously through her hair before she gathered half into a ponytail while she walked.

"EMI-NEE-CHAN! SAKURA-CHAN!" The brunette groaned as she heard the loud shouts resonating clearly throughout the hall, a few yells of anger could be heard in response. Stepping quietly into the front lobby area she immediately noticed her blonde team mate and...

'Crap,' As though sensing her watching him Sasuke turned his blank gaze to her and she quickly switched to watching Naruto who was declaring that his team would win all the money and become rich and famous.

"Naruto!" Heat rose to her face as she padded towards him, hoping to shut him up before the fellow students pounced on him.

"Emi-nee-chan!" Naruto beamed clearly full of excitement as he spun on his heel blue eyes searching the crowd. "Where's Sakura-chan?" Emiko shrugged, searching through the groups while trying desperately to ignore her dark haired team mate. 'Just…don't say anything,' she instructed herself as she spotted the final member and waved quickly for her to join them.

"Come on we have to hurry!" Sakura wasted no time in ushering them out the door.

The short walk was rather quiet and Emiko welcomed the distracting buzz of conversation as they reached the familiar building. Sakura was the first to reach the door as she held it open politely for the others. Emiko smiled faintly before she entered, noticing the changes. It was the same room they had been tested in earlier but the desks had been cleared away leaving the room bare, the plain white walls glaring at the students in the bright lights. Glancing around the room Emiko shifted on her feet, the groups of students all humming in a quiet crescendo amongst themselves.

Sakura was standing quietly beside Sasuke while Emiko tried to stay as far away as possible without stepping into unspoken territory of another group. In a flash the lights disappeared, plunging the room in a light darkness, the lights from the windows streaming in blockades through the glass.

Sounds of shuttering wood echoed throughout the now silent room and one by one the windows disappeared. As the last light fled Emiko blinked, searching the air before her only to find a suffocating blanket of pure black. Her throat tightened and she gulped, spinning on her heel, hands outstretched as she tried to find her friends. A strangled sound surfaced past her lips and she choked on her breath as she felt a pang of desperation rumbling in the pits of her chest.

"Emi-nee-chan?" Immediately felt a warm hand grasp her arm and her body trembled from sudden relief. Following the faint tug of the hand she heard Sakura whispering quietly to the others to stay close.

"What's going on though?" Naruto spoke Emiko's thoughts as she closed her eyes, her breathing regular once again and as she listened to the sounds of her friends she calmed. Her legs shook and she focused on standing, knowing the sudden contrast from scared to intense relaxation would take a second for adjustment.

"I'm not sure." Emiko opened her eyes and glanced at the area where Sakura's voice came from. Feeling the tips of her lips lift in a smile she let out a silent sigh and turned away, her ears now tuned to hear the sounds of others.

The previous sound of buzzing conversations was dulled, matted and repressed by the darkness swirling through the room, poking at people's fears and snickering cruel words of worry in the ears of others.

Before she could concentrate a light snapped on, the fierce beam thundering through the room and causing many to shy away with loud shouts of surprise protest. Emiko frowned, hands shielding her closed eyes as she tried to fight away the light shining through her eyelids.

Grumbling about the ferocity Emiko blinked, her hand slowly dropping back to her side as she squinted at the light, noticing a young woman standing boldly before them. Adjusting to the light Emiko noticed she had dark hair and a friendly smile before she spoke.

"Time for your next challenge!" Emiko stepped closer to the other three who each stared at the woman with their own characteristic gaze. 'She's likes a dramatic entrance.' Emiko thought to herself as she felt herself wishing for the slithering comfort of the dark.

"This building has 10 floors, 3 rooms per floor, one staircase and an elevator that is currently down for maintenance." The woman recited, hands on her hips in a fashion reminding Emiko of a superhero. 'Why is she telling us this?' Emiko wondered, raising an eyebrow as she caught Naruto's eyes. He mimicked her look before shrugging.

"My name is Mitarashi Anko!" Her hand jerked and Emiko noticed a small string in her hand. With a wide flourish a something unfolded behind her. As the creases fell Emiko tilted her head, almost laughing as she read the girl's name across the banner. Glancing back at the woman still standing in the beam of light Emiko noted a wide grin on her face, something familiar to Naruto's.

'Why'd she talk about the building before she told us her name?' Emiko questioned, slightly confused by the actions.

"The next part of this examination is going to be about ingenuity. Your ability to survive with nothing." Sudden darkness swept in as the light shut off with a loud 'thud'. Emiko instinctively grabbed for a team mate. Cloth folded in her fingers, soft against her fingertips as she stepped closer to Naruto.

"What are you doing?" The dark voice questioned and Emiko stumbled away from Sasuke, her mouth open and her face heating up as she silently receded into the quiet solace of the darkness.

"Who?" Sakura sounded from near him.

"Hn." The brunette dropped her head, her eyes searching the endless dark slate before her while her fingers played softly with the lint in her pocket.

Soft taps sounded through the room, followed by a heavy click as the light was switched back on. Emiko had prepared, listening to the signs as she shielded her eyes but felt herself pushed away by the beams as it shone on the blonde standing a foot away from her. Glowering at the shot of light she noticed Naruto struggling to blink, straining to quickly adjust to the sudden shock as Anko rested her arm on his shoulder.

"Everyone," she seemed to take no notice of the boy she used as a prop and spoke to the mass. "Is going to be left for a school week in this building." Emiko's eyes widened as she looked to the others who seemed shocked by the news as well. "Hidden throughout the different floors and rooms of this building are amounts of food, water and supplies to help you survive. Supplies can be anything from walkie-talkies to spoons." At the last word a light sense of humor rose from her voice and she grinned.

"Each team will need to find and secure a base to last for the five days." Her brown eyes scanned over the crowd. "In five days I'll come back and tell everyone how many losers have been disqualified." Her hand ruffled Naruto's hair before she pulled out a small package of what looked like undersized rocks.

Beaming widely she threw them upon the ground. A miniature explosion rocked the room as smoke plumed into the air, sparks skittering over the ground sending the students back steps to avoid contact. A few people coughed and Emiko covered her mouth as she waved her hand through the haze, hearing Naruto stumble from the area.

Just as before the lights shut off, the old acquaintance of the dark lasting for a second before it lightened, the shadows of people becoming at least discernable and Emiko realized that a light in another room had been turned on, faint rays peeking out into the room.

"Come on." Emiko turned, her eyes focusing on Sakura as she took the lead for a moment before Naruto burst towards the door. The idea passed like an infectious curse as Emiko ran after her friends, weaving through the crowd closing in on her sides, pressing like a giant mass towards the stairs.

The air grew hot as bodies pushed in towards her, Naruto flickering in and out of her vision as she hastened her pace to break out of the suffocation and race into the staircase. A small 'woosh' sounded behind her as the door slammed shut and her eyes darted frantically over the metal stairs before she grabbed a metal plank and lodged it in the doorway, hearing the welcomed sound the thuds of fists on the other side of the door.

"That should buy us some time." She panted and Sakura nodded silently, winded before she looked to the males.

"We should split up and cover as much ground as possible." Metallic footsteps sounded and Emiko dared a glance at Sasuke as he walked up the stairs, his back towards them as he appeared to care less about the conversation.

"Sakura we don't have any ways of communication." Emiko pointed out, groaning beneath her words as she began to jog up the stairs with the others.

Naruto paused and Sakura stopped, leaning against the railing as they fell into a dead silence, the echoes of the pounding door drumming in the background like a funeral march. 'I think we made them made…' Emiko thought to herself as she rested against the railing in a fashion similar to Sakura.

Mismatched eyes glanced at where Sasuke had been and she blinked to see empty space. 'Where'd he go?' A loud crash answered her as she rushed past the other two to see Sasuke standing passively before a door, apathetic eyes gazing past the swinging door to the dark room behind it.

Emiko paused, not really wanting to speak to him as she didn't know what she could say. Footsteps sounded softly behind her and she turned gratefully to see Sakura and Naruto appear.

"Our base can be here." Sakura spoke up as she strode forward, inspecting the inside of the room. "Right, Sasuke-kun?" Emerald eyes turned hopefully towards the Uchiha, desperation for recognition in her iris. His eyes closed his head tilting away as he refused to respond.

"Yeah Sakura-chan!" Naruto cheered in an attempt to cover for the cold brush off.

"We'll keep the lights off and cover it with some debris so they think it's broken." Emiko hesitated in the doorway, feeling an unnerving stare in her back as she entered the room, quickly straining to adjust to the darkness coating the insides.

"Emiko, you and I will stay here." Sakura declared, the familiar touch of hurt in her voice as Emiko glanced to see Sakura watching Sasuke from the corner of her eyes. "Sasuke-kun and Naruto can go and gather provisions." She overturned a box and the brunette cringed as she heard the clangs of objects crashing into the tile floor.

'I hope no one heard that…' she thought, regarding Sakura with curiosity as she tore off a side of the box and covered the small window in the door. Getting to her knees Emiko shifted through the items, feeling over the surfaces gingerly as she recognized a few of the objects in the dim light.

Flicking one of the knobs a static buzz broke the thoughts and Emiko tossed one of the walkie-talkies to Naruto. Finding its partners she turned each on, checking the frequencies before she passed one to each, careful to avoid Sasuke's eyes as she passed one to him.

"We need food and some supplies to lock the door securely." Sakura said, standing as she caught the other's attention. Naruto nodded, grinning once again as he pumped his fist into the air.

"We'll do it!"

**hope you enjoyed. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! Sorry it took so long I had a brain combustion xP I will finish this story before my school starts on August 16th. Pinkie promise! I'm not telling you what comes next. haha!**

**-shyshi**


	25. A Simple Thing

"Nunc scio quit sit amor."-Virgil

Emiko watched silently, her eyes softening upon the navy clad back as he disappeared up the stairs. Seconds later the door snapped shut and she blinked, transferring her gaze to the girl faintly silhouetted in her vision.

"Do we have a flashlight?" Hands ran through the items, reacquainting with the forms before she felt a slender metal body in her fingers. Searching all over she felt a small switch and grinned as she flicked on the light.

They sat quietly, organizing the supplies. Half way through they turned off the light, not wanting to waste batteries and spent the rest of the time memorizing the textures and shapes of each supply. It was difficult as first being basically blind as they would spend time trying to identify something they'd already organized away. Gradually they became used to the situation, adjusting to their other senses as they made progress through the clutter.

"Emiko," Sakura's soft voice began and Emiko's eyes glanced in the direction of the girl.

"Yeah?" Emiko continued to graze fingertips over a form, trying to discern from memories and logic what could be in her hands. 'Food?' she thought over possibilities.

"Do you like Sasuke-kun?" The object slipped from her grip, landing on the floor with a hollow thump. 'Wha…' Emiko's mind buzzed with surprise and anxiety. 'Should I tell her what happened?'

"_Ino, do you like Sasuke-kun?_

"_Yes."_

"_Then from now on we're rivals."_

Her stomach churned as she remembered what had happened. Letting out a silent sigh and closed her eyes, her head bowing forward as she tried to think of what to do. 'I can't lose Sakura…I've already practically lost Ino, Shika and Kiba. And if Sakura leaves…Naruto will too.'

"_Emi-nee-chan-" _

"_Nee-chan?"_

"_You're the closest thing I have to a sister."_

Harsh light flashed into her face and she blinked, hand instinctively up to shield her eyes from the flashlight.

"Emiko?" Her heart thudded heavily as she heard Sakura's voice. It was painted calm but her voice shook beneath the cover.

"No, I don't like him." Emiko lied, smiling seconds before the light flicked off. Under the darkness her smile dropped and she reached out for the item from earlier.

"Why did you pause?" Sakura questioned, a smile evident in her tone as noises told she was continuing with her work. Emiko's mind raced, trying to think an efficient lie.

"I was just surprised." She forced a laugh, the feeling never reaching her eyes as her gaze softened sadly, her fingers skimming over the item. 'I know what it is now,' she thought as her fingertips glided over the surface gently. "Surprised you would think I would like him. He's not right for me." As the words choked easily from her mouth she closed her eyes, bringing the item to her face, her eyes closing as she took in the intoxicatingly painful, comforting scent passing through the air before her.

"Oh, okay." Hearing the happy note in the word Emiko's heart thudded to the acid of her stomach and she opened her eyes, grateful for the darkness that shielded the disheartened glaze heavily shielding her eyes.

'I'm sorry,' she apologized silently, gently storing the candle in a small cardboard box. Wafts of cinnamon passed over her as she covered the box, hiding the content before she pushed it away.

"_Simple. Friends before love. Always"_

"_Always?"_

"_Always."_

'I love you Sasuke…I'm sorry.'

"Now I know what love is." -Virgil


	26. Setting Up

"Wit is educated insolence." -Aristotle

Blonde hair bobbed in and out of Sasuke's view as Naruto darted through the rooms, gathering necessities. They'd started at the top of the building, Sasuke's reasoning being they would work from the top down back to their room. Naruto had tried to argue as usual but eventually gave up as the staircase door at the floor level broke, the dam of students breaking as they flooded the levels.

It had only happened seconds ago and Sasuke knew they would reach Emiko and Sakura soon, hoping they would have enough common sense to stay quiet. Yells vibrated through the staircase and Sasuke turned his gaze towards the door at the other end of the hall. Shadows flickered past the window and he stood silently in place, refusing to flinch as the door began to shake.

Naruto appeared beside him, blue eyes wide and arms filled with supplies as he stared at the door. A second of calmness passed before the door creaked open and three teenagers stepped in.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he studied each person, faintly recognizing each before Naruto spoke.

"Who are you?" He clutched tight the provisions as he spoke and Sasuke noticed one step forward. He wore a tight green t-shirt and dark jeans, his dark hair was cut in a plain bowl cut style. 'Lee.' Sasuke thought disdainfully, his thoughts of memories as he studied the group.

"I'm Lee!" The boy smiled and Naruto shot him a look that suggested he thought the boy had lost it.

"You roomed with Sakura-chan!" Naruto pointed at the girl standing behind him and Sasuke felt a pang of annoyance at the stupidity of the conversation.

"Uchiha." The simple word reminded Sasuke of a familiar brunette but he shoved the thought aside to stare blankly at the third member. His eyes were a light grey and blank, similar to his own empty stare.

Neji Hyuuga, the top student at Sasuke's former school and a year ahead of him. They rivaled in many things in school and out although Sasuke would never admit that he considered anyone a rival.

"I hear you've made friends." Neji continued, his gaze switching to Naruto who met the look with a daring glare. "Not many are happy about it."

"I don't have friends." Sasuke replied coldly. 'I don't,' he insisted to himself ignoring the little voice in his head pleading to differ. 'What about Emiko?' His eyes shifted into a glare as he thought about it. 'I don't care about anyone. I'm out for revenge and that's it.'

Hearing the comment he felt Naruto shift at his side and glanced at the blonde to see him glaring fiercely.

"Hey guys?" A voice beeped from Naruto's jacket and Sasuke recognized it immediately as the girl who continued to bother his thoughts. He turned away and listened as Naruto spoke to Emiko before motioning for him to follow as they walked to the door.

"Be careful Uchiha," Neji warned, stepping aside calmly. It wasn't a friendly warning, more of a testing statement, Sasuke's eyes narrowed at him, challenging him to continue as he shoved Naruto out the door and followed him back down the stairs.

"Hey! Don't shove me!" Naruto yelled angrily as Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets, his face blank again as he passed him and continued silently down the stairs. "You jerk!" Naruto's voice rang loudly off the walls as he yelled after him. A smirk rose to Sasuke's lips as he heard the anger and annoyance in the boy's voice, knowing how easily Naruto was riled could be entertaining and at the very least distracting, something he needed at the moment.

"I don't even know why Sakura-chan likes you!" Naruto continued to rant, apparently not caring about the lack of response as he bounded down the stairs in pursuit of the Uchiha. Reaching their floor Sasuke listened to the recognizable sounds of Naruto speaking through the walkie-talkies insisting that they open the door.

"Now." Sasuke ordered firmly, the sounds of heavy footfalls crashing down and up the stairs signaling that they wouldn't be alone for long. Something clicked behind the door before it opened, Emiko holding it open as Naruto bounded through, dropping the provisions to the ground before Sakura with a clear sense of pride.

Emiko peeked out into the hall, avoiding Sasuke in any way possible as she listened to the sounds of people running up and down the stairs.

"Come on." She motioned, refusing to look him in the face as she stepped back, holding the door open as he silently entered and sat down against a wall. Emiko sighed, ignoring the small burn of desire to talk to him and focused on fastening the door lock once again.

"We've found food, flashlights, some chopsticks, water and some wires." Emiko explained as she sat, carefully making sure to sit away from Sasuke.

'If I sit too close then they'll think something happened. If I sit far enough away,' the simple stress of trying to hide what was going on caused her head to hurt but she peeled it away, refusing to show problems as she let Sakura explain the trap they'd set up.

"So if they enter that'll trip the wire causing this to fall on them." Sakura finished the explanation, her hand resting on the metal shelf piled with empty cardboard boxes.

"That's cool." Naruto praised her enthusiastically and Emiko noticed a grateful smile on the girl's face. Emiko nodded, smiling lightly to assure Sakura she'd done a good job.

"Sasuke-kun? What do you think?" Sakura asked, a hopeful shimmer in her eyes as she waited patiently, her eyes trained on the boy sitting silently in the shadows. Hesitantly Emiko raised her eyes to his face, searching through the shadows for something. She wasn't even quite sure what, something positive. Something familiar to show that he was the same person that she'd hung out with, not the frozen being he'd turned into.

"Hn." His head rose, light from Sakura's flashlight weakly flickering over his face. He looked up, Emiko catching his gaze as she studied him. It was all so confusing, she wanted to be with him but she only hurt herself more by refusing, thinking up excuses she couldn't go after him.

She stared at him, clutching to the connection as she searched his eyes. The light cast harsh shadows over his face, his eyes hardened into onyx stone as she wondered what could have caused such a change.

'He hates me,' the simple words seared into her mind, twisting beneath her skin as she was forced to swallow them letter by poisonous letter. 'I can't believe it…' her eyes dropped to the ground and a sad smile came to her face as she thought the words over.

"Hey you two," Emiko's eyes brightened as she forced a smile and turned to her friends. "We're going to go back out to scout out the area and see who is where." Sakura explained, still staring at Sasuke as she spoke. Emiko nodded before standing.

"I'll go." She offered but watched as Naruto shook his head.

"Not yet, we need to have two people guarding the room." He grinned before winking and Emiko couldn't help but smile as she realized he was excited at being alone with Sakura. 'That means,' she glimpsed at the boy over her shoulder. He hadn't changed much during the conversation although it looked like he was at least listening.

"Okay, we'll guard." Emiko sighed, nerves beginning to prick at her thoughts. 'Crap, this is going to be awkward,' she thought to herself as she shut the door behind the pair, locking it carefully before she silently sat back down.

**A/n: honestly I'm scared to update the next chapters because I don't want to get characters OOC. Mostly because nothing's good enough for me because I'm a basic perfectionist...that and apparently OCD(I took a test where 12+ means you most likely have OCD and I got 28...-.-;;;;;;;) Anyway it might take a while. **

**-shyshi**


	27. I Hate You

"Silence is a text easy to misread"-A.A. Attanasio

Silence had never sincerely bothered Emiko before but as she sat, attempting to play with her fingers in hopes it would all disappear, she couldn't help but feel the air grow heavier, pressing uncomfortably into her back. Pushing her to speak, or do anything that would throw away the tense silence.

'Start talking about the weather,' Emiko thought sarcastically, laughing quietly as she thought of how that conversation would flow.

"What are you laughing at?" She abruptly stopped, her eyes shooting up to see Sasuke watching her blankly. A sharp jolt coursed her heart as she stared into his eyes, blank and hardened, she'd never seen him look at her that way and it hurt to see it now when they seemed so close.

"N-nothing." She replied, her eyes breaking away and staring at her hands again, her fingers intertwining together almost in the same way he'd held her hand a day ago. Despite the mimic, the camouflage that it was the same she didn't feel the familiar comfort or warmth.

'Well you are holding your own hand,' she pointed out, berating herself for being so stupid. 'It's all changed now,' the very idea made her heart sink. 'If I'd know, what going there would lead to,' she glanced at Sasuke, instantly adverting her gaze as she saw emotionless eyes staring into her, hammering into her mind.

'If I knew what was going to happen…' she began to think it over, staring heatedly at her hands as she fought the desire to look up and meet his stare. 'Would I still do it?' Answers never came as she waited, her mind focused on the simple question prompting millions of more confusing ones, none with a resolute or logical answer.

"Do you hate me?" The words slipped from Emiko's mouth and her eyes widened as she grasped what she'd said. Her head shot up, her eyes searching for Sasuke's but finding that he'd turned away to stare at a wall.

'He'd rather stare at a wall…' Emiko's head bowed, wondering why she'd even bothered entertaining the idea that he could feel anything for her.

'I guess now Sakura can go for him. He'd be better with her anyway,' the statement made sense. Sakura was pretty, intelligent, sweet and clearly in love with him. Her heart lightened a little, the confusion and pain she'd felt shedding off as she smiled faintly, her eyes glazed as she stared at the floor.

'I'd rather him be happy with someone,' she thought to herself, the idea of him finding someone perfect for him gently prying away the self pity. 'I'm not going to wallow,' she declared, her head rising as she regarded Sasuke lightly. Confidence fermented in her resolute and she felt her familiar self slowly being taped back into place.

'I'm not going to wallow.' She repeated a small, genuine smile on her face.

"I don't hate you." Emiko stated calmly, her eyes shining slightly as she memorized each feature. Hearing the words Sasuke paused, his eyes widening for a mere second, his hardened gaze cracking before he turned to her.

With the simple stare it changed, the former resolve weakening as she felt the memorable connection as they watched each other. 'I don't want him to be with someone else…' Emiko thought, instantly furious that a simple stare could change how she felt.

'No, I'm not going to do anything.' She declared her hand curling into a fist as her own frustration. 'No, but you should-' Clutters of thoughts continued as she tried frantically to sort out what was going on.

'I was so decided! I knew what I was supposed to do!' she thought desperately. 'How can that all disappear when he looks at me! He hates me!'

"Ihate you." Everything stopped, suspended at Sasuke's words.

**A/n: mwahahaha this is fun! -shyshi**


	28. Without Sounds

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear." -Ambrose Redmoon

Emiko blinked, the words seeping into her thoughts like a poisonous gas, invading and reshaping her thoughts.

"Oh" She answered, her thoughts full of belittling laughter at her own foolishness.

"My brother," Sasuke's paused, breaking away and staring at his hands, his eyes darting over them before he glanced at her, eyes flickering with emotions. Mostly pain and anger, fury that seemed unrivaled. "He killed everyone. My ambition in life is to kill him. To extract revenge."

The brunette listened intently, her eyes dashed over his face in the faint light. As he spoke she gingerly lifted up the flashlight, Sasuke paid no mind, his eyes glazed as though left in his world. Tapping the switch the light vanished, leaving the comforting hug of darkness around them.

"I hate you," Sasuke breathed and Emiko's eyes widened slightly. "Because you cause problems I can't brush off." She leaned against the wall trying to word a response. 'I should've known' Her hands clutched her head in annoyance, her fingers twisting in locks of hair as a release.

"Why did you," she paused the word was like a forbidden utterance. "Kiss me?" Sounds scattered through the room and Emiko pressed further against the wall as she heard someone before her.

"To prove that I didn't care about you." Sasuke breathed, his voice resonating darkly through the air. His words were near to her heart and ear and she realized with a jolt that he was sitting in front of her, slightly to her side. 'So he doesn't care,' Emiko thought to herself, trying to steady her breathing as she felt him so close.

"And you don't." She stated calmly, her voice never betraying her thoughts as she searching the darkness for a hint of his presence. There was no response and Emiko let out a heavy sigh, feeling a short painful release as she took his silence to be an agreement.

"You cause problems for me." Emiko bolted up, eyes wide as she stared at nothing. His voice was right next to her and she turned slowly to face where she heard him to be.

"Uchiha if you hate me fine. Just because I like you doesn't mean I'm going to let you toy with me!" She stood abruptly, hands clenched at her sides as she whispered harshly into the darkness.

Something pressed into her arm seconds before she felt herself slammed against the door, reaching for the air shoved from her lungs as she felt hands painfully clenching to her arms. Breath warmed her neck and her eyes widened as she froze, not daring to breath as she waited for him to speak.

"Sasuke. Not Uchiha." She winced as his grip tightened on her arms, nails digging into her flesh as she stayed still, her eyes staring towards the wall as she tried to ignore the feeling of him so close. "Past formalities."

"Things change." She hissed, unable to conceal the frustration in her voice. "Besides you even said you don't care about me so what does it matter?" She strained not to yell, not wanting to give away their hiding spot any more than they possibly already had.

'He's so confusing…damn it! It's annoying!' she thought as she tried to worm her arm from his grip but found it only caused him to tighten, his nails digging crescent shaped crevices in her skin.

"Don't assume." He finally responded, chills lacing up her spine as she realized he was closer.

"I'm not. You said so." She managed, anger festering in her mind as time ticked away. In a split second her anger sweltered beyond her limit and she shifted on her feet, raising a foot and kicking in his general direction.

"What the hell are you doing." Sasuke demanded lowly as she felt a hand disappear from her arm seconds before her foot stopped, her ankle held firmly in place.

"Trying to get you away from me." She replied heatedly, a low growl in her voice as she scowled into the darkness. "I'm not going to be another fan girl who swoons just cause you're around and I'm not going to allow you to mess with me for your own cruel amusement."

Sasuke scoffed only prodding her further into her anger as she tried to wretch her foot away.

"You think this is amusing to me?" Sasuke questioned rhetorically before he jerked on her ankle causing Emiko to tip from balance. 'Jerk,' Emiko thought sourly as she tried to keep her balance on one foot. "It isn't. You cause problems, I kiss you to prove I don't care and for some reason I can't stop thinking about you." All breathing seemed to halt, the two inhabitants doing nothing but listening to the sound of footsteps up and down the stairs outside.

"My life's ambition is to kill my brother but now I'm losing focus." Emiko let out a strangled gasp as a thin trickle of blood eased down her arm, her skin prickling as it flowed. "It's your fault." Emiko's eyes widened as she felt a cloud of warm breath on her cheek, heat rising to her face as she felt a familiar nagging of nerves under her skin.

"Sasuke," she whispered, barely daring to inhale as she felt him so near. "If you're going to run after you're brother that's okay. But what are you going to do after you get your revenge? You'll be wanted for murder." The shackle on her ankle released and she stood calmly, her thoughts gathering in a soft hum. She sighed, leaning her head forward as her eyes closed. Rustling sounds passed and she felt her forehead land on something. There was a sense of contentment as she rested her eyes, her forehead resting on Sasuke's shoulder.

"I've never liked someone this much before," He shifted beneath her but she grabbed his arm with her free hand, mirroring his motions. "You don't have to respond." He instantly stopped, his muscles tensing and prying another sigh from her.

"It scares me," she admitted, ignoring the small voice of reason screaming for her to stop to cut her losses and bolt. "Thinking of you killing someone and spending the rest of your life running scares me too…but if you really need this, I won't stand in your way." She lifted her head from his shoulder, her hand loosening its hold as it glided down his arm.

"I won't apologize for this. But I didn't mean to cause problems for you." She smiled faintly, almost on the verge of laughing as she thought over the words now landing before her feet in a heap. Silence began to set in and she quietly let go of his arm, waiting silently for him to step away, to return to his former wordless recluse.

"Sas-" Voice drained away as she felt a painful rush of contentment as lips brushed against her own. Taking a tiny step she followed the retreat, euphoria passing as he returned her strongly. Her free hand slid up his arm before she wrapped her arm around his neck, pulling him closer to her as need dripped between their lips.

His desire to know and have, to express everything he never would verbally. Her need to know he cared and to show she'd never leave. His hand on her arm tautened and he pulled her forward, commanding her closer to him as his other arm wrapped around her, fingers wrapping in her shirt as they kissed.

Breaking away Emiko's eyes opened to widen, desperately wishing light would grace the room to reveal what was happening beyond the shroud of black.

"Y-"

"OPEN UP!" A loud voice rang through the door and Emiko cringed, feeling a cool rush as Sasuke disappeared from the air around her and she turned, fumbling with the locks before she opened the door. Squinting through the light flooding from the staircase she discerned the outline before she gasped.

"You're not Naruto."

**A/n: I'm being picky but is it just me or is this a long story? Does that take away from it, I don't like characters getting mushy instantly so that's why I held off on the romance. I hoped it would make it seem more real. And sorry but Idon't see Sasuke loving someone mushily and it being an easy time for them.Reviews are welcome as well as critiques!-shyshi**


	29. Newcomers and a Search

"Don't accept rides from strange men, and remember all men are strange."-Robin Morgan 

"No…" The young man standing before her snickered. Emiko stumbled back barely missed by the door as it swung open on its hinges, colliding into the wall with a thunderous crash.

'Ow my ears,' Emiko winced, one hand covering her ear as she tumbled to the floor. She hastily sat up, moving quickly to guard the supplies as Sasuke wordlessly stood, hands in his pockets as he stared at the boy.

A thick grey hood covered most of his face and his bad posture didn't help and Emiko estimated she was at most a few centimeters taller than him. 'Haha he's short!' She found the little victory and clenched to it, mentally poking fun at the person as she strained to keep herself from smiling. 'Crap why do I have to smile at everything!' Emiko thought to herself as her lips twitched.

"Go away." Sasuke ordered his eyes focused coldly on the boy. Instead he stepped forward, a daring grin on his face as he lifted the hood just enough to reveal his eyes.

"Or what?" he challenged, the simple retort causing Emiko to groan.

"You're so unoriginal. "Or what?" That's pathetic, try and stretch that raisin sized brain of yours to find something witty on your way out the door." Emiko met his glare eagerly, her hands itching to smack him as he took another step in.

Sasuke strode forward stopping inches away before he retracted his fist and punched him, sending the boy stumbling back.

"You're pathetic." Sasuke spat as his hand dropped back to his side. Emiko grinned, studying the boy now clutching his face as he tried to regain his breathing. He stepped back and Emiko felt a small sense of victory rising as she assumed he was leaving. The thoughts died as she noticed a flash of silver break in the light, her mind instantly recognizing what she'd seen often in her school.

'Shit.' Her stomach dropped, eyes widening as she tried to call a warning to Sasuke.

Before a syllable could pass the boy lunged, the six inch long metal knife gleaming in the feeble light as he slashed at Sasuke.

Emiko let out a weak yell as she watched them, beyond anxious as she tried to think of someway to help. The boy continued to slice into the air, small hisses of air following his movements but Sasuke always seemed a step ahead, staying calm as he fluidly avoided each attack and retaliated every few attempts.

'Crap! What should I do!' She stared as Sasuke dodged another attack, his eyes flickering between the blade and the attacker before he grabbed the boy's wrist, immediately twisting it. With a clear rattle the knife dropped to the ground, the boy now writhing in attempts to accommodate for Sasuke's hold. The Uchiha straightened up, wordlessly forcing the boy to follow as he jerked the wrist sharply prying a small shout of pain from the former attacker.

Sasuke smirked, his eyes bearing into the hood shielding the young man's head.

"You leave Gideon's and now you're better than me?" Voice hissed out from under the hood and Emiko blinked, looking hastily between the two. Sasuke's lips were set in a firm line as he glared at the being before him, apparently agitated by the person as his grip tightened painfully on the wrist.

"Think again." The boy cackled and everything blurred as the boy contorted in Sasuke's grip, almost disappearing before he appeared behind the Uchiha, a smirk evident on his lips as he aimed a gun at Sasuke's head, the lips of the end kissing the raven locks maliciously.

Time stopped and Emiko gathered her breath, fear raging in his body as her hand shook. 'They're willing to kill for a competition?' Noises croaked in her voice as she tried to think of something. Sasuke stood calmly, his eyes set firmly on the door as the boy laughed malevolently behind him.

A shaking laugh escaped her lips as she shook in her shoes, staring at the gun gleaming with cruel pride in the light. Immediately she felt gazes bearing into her as her hands clenched into fists, her fingernails digging small trenches in her palms.

"N-nothing says overcompensation like a gun." She stammered, wondering why she was still smiling insanely through the situation. 'Oh god stop laughing Emiko!' She roared mentally, her eyes widening further than ever before as she noticed the finger placed delicately on the trigger flinched.

'STOP! Run! Hide! Stop laughing!' She'd always thought years in dangerous neighborhoods would have prepared her for something like this. But to see someone use a gun, over a competition and on someone she loved. Knots burned in her throat as she tried to swallow, her eyes never leaving the trigger separating Sasuke from death.

"J-jackass! You wimp! Fight like a man not some skinny rich boy who's too scared to get his hands dirty! G-guns are weak!" Yelling seemed to blanket her shaking voice as she reprimanded him, her lungs burning as she tried to keep calm. A frown formed over his lips, instantly turning to a dark scowl.

'Oh god…' Tears sprung behind her eyes as she was greeted by the barrel of the gun, a sinister smile on the boy as he aimed at her.

"HEY!" Emiko closed her eyes, her hands covering her head as she crouched down a loud crash ricocheting through the room paired by a gun shot. Peeking one eye open she saw Naruto standing proudly in the room, a wide grin on his face as he stared at the boy sprawled on the ground before him. Emiko stepped back, breathing shallowly as she tried to calm the nerves jumping through her body. Her hands shook violently as she wrapped her arms around her stomach, her eyes staring at the loud mouthed blonde.

Letting out a low sigh of pure relief Emiko took another step back. Her stomach jumped as the floor slipped beneath her foot and she crashed to the ground, landing painfully in the middle of the supplies with an audible ruckus.

"Emi-nee-chan? Are you okay?" Naruto's face poked into her view as she groaned in embarrassment. "I didn't see you there." Emiko forced a small smile and sat up, shifting to remove cans of food from her side before she nodded.

"Yeah…I'm okay." She acknowledged, taking Naruto's offered hand and standing slowly. "Is he unconcious?" She motioned to the boy sprawled out on the floor with her eyes.

"Yep! I came in at the perfect time!" Naruto beamed proudly.

"You were late." Sasuke retorted, his arms crossed over his chest as he stood before the unconcious teen, his eyes hardening with each passing second as he regarded the male.

"I was not!" Naruto yelled angrily, brandishing a fist in his rival's direction, his blue eyes blazing in sharp contrast to Sasuke's vacant stare. Emiko sighed, rubbing her temples before she ran a hand through her hair, frowning faintly as she felt the tangles already manifesting in her locks.

'Damn…' she strode to the door and closed it quietly, recognizing the familiar shadows as she snapped it shut, fingers running through and fastening each lock. Turning around she stepped towards the vicinity of the two still exchanging short words of distaste. A thin line of pressure pressed into ankle and her lungs caught as she heard the screech of metal against the floor seconds before she felt Sakura's trap spring.

'This just sucks…' Emiko groaned into the silence, the strident sounds of the crash still echoing through the small compartment. She shifted under the metal shelf, ignoring the small stab of pain from the nuts and bolts shoving into her side.

"Someone help." She groaned seconds before she felt the structure lift from her and she sat, once again moving supplies off of her before she felt someone grab her arm and hoist her to her feet.

"Naruto, where's Sakura?" Emiko asked quickly, realizing the familiar girl was missing. The hand held to her arm in the darkness as she spoke.

"We got split up, I thought she'd come back here though." Naruto's voice quivered slightly as he seemed to remember Sakura.

"Come on, we'll go look for her and Sasuke can stay here to guard, okay?" Sasuke released her and she took his silence to mean a yes as Naruto unlocked the door, opening it just enough for them to slip through.

Familiar clicks sounded behind them to signal the door had been locked and Emiko flickered on her walkie talkie, checking with Naruto before setting it to the correct channel.

"Did you try to call her?" Emiko asked as she jogged up the stairs, playing for a second with the buttons.

"Yea!" Naruto declared defensively, sprinting behind her. "She didn't answer but I figured she'd know to come back." Emiko nodded silently, her mind racing over possible situations.

'That one boy brought a gun, are the others as desperate?' She hoped for her friend's sake they weren't, she couldn't bare to think of Sakura staring down the barrel of a gun. 'Why are they so cut throat? The kid's from Gideon he doesn't need the money.' Her mind continued to mull everything over as she reached scanned the level.

People were non-existent as they had all seemed to have found rooms on the floor. It breathed like a vacant, unused building, almost like a haunted house. Emiko sighed before she turned to naruto who was scanning the room thoroughly.

"Should we split up?" She suggested, continuing up the stairs.

"No! That's how Sakura disappeared." Naruto insisted, his steps hastening as he took the lead up the stairs. Emiko nodded quietly, smiling faintly as she heard the ring of determination in his voice. 'He probably feels bad for loosing her,' Emiko mused forlornly, her eyes training on his orange back as she followed him up the stairs.

"Alright then." Naruto pumped a fist into the air and leapt forward, landing on the level with a perceptible thud. A beam lit his face before Emiko swatted at him, frowning.

"They will have heard that!" She pointed out quietly, pointing at a door, a shadow disappearing swiftly from the small window. Naruto's grin turned sheepish as he scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously.

"Yea but then Sakura can yell for help." Naruto explained honestly, sprinting to a door and peeking openly through the window. Emiko felt her legs weaken as she felt a desire to simply fall over, watching as Naruto peeked through each window. 'We'll never find her like this…' Emiko thought dismally as Naruto returned to stand before her.

"I didn't see her." Naruto reported, glancing at the rooms as their inhabitants glanced out the windows.

"Naruto," Emiko groaned. "She might not be that easy to see."

"She has pink hair though." Naruto replied calmly as he returned to the stairs, taking the lead once again as he bounded energetically up the stairs. 'Good point,' Emiko admitted silently as she followed him up the stairs. 'Sakura, you better be okay.'


	30. Significant Individualities

**A/n: Haha! 5 chapters in a day! AMAZING. Anyway, ignore that. HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY SAILOR LUNA! Yep...This is from Sakura's perspective by the way. comments and reviews are very appreciated! -shyshi**

"There is nothing beyond the reach of you."

One step after another, Sakura trudged up the stairs, hand clasping the railing as she pulled herself up. 'Why,' she thought, her hand still throbbing as was her cheek.

"_Ino-pig! I won't lose Sasuke-kun to you!" Sakura yelled, infuriated by the constant comments coming from her former best friend. The blonde stood before her, an equally angered puff in her cheeks as they glared heatedly at each other. _

_Before anyone could stop them they rushed forward and punched. Sakura felt victory as she felt her fist strike Ino's face before pain flooded her face as Ino punched her face as well. They stumbled away, former best friends and now rivals as they glared at each other. _

"_You're both so troublesome." Shikamaru dead panned, his arms folded. Kiba stood, annoyed to anger as he watched them fight. _

"_Stop it." Megumi spoke up, stepping forward into the light. Her hands were placed on her hips, something rather out of character as she gazed sternly at them both. "I heard you two were best friends before Uchiha-san came."_

_Sakura instantly dropped her eyes, searching the floor for a barrier to the words. Her cheek pulsed in pain as she thought quietly to herself. 'We were.' She glanced up at Ino, searching the blonde's eyes for a reaction. _

"_Stop fighting." Megumi chided them both, her hands dropping to her sides as she studied them both. 'I'm not a child!' Sakura glared at the golden haired girl before turning away._

"_Stop that Megumi! You're not better than us! I won't let you get Sasuke-kun either!" Ino's voice rang back. Sakura blinked, recognizing the words as she tried to understand what Ino had said. 'She thinks Megumi likes Sasuke-kun?' She couldn't help but scoff at the idea._

"_I'm not the one you should worry about." Megumi replied calmly, still refined as always. Sakura spun to stare at the girl. 'What?' She glimpsed Ino, who had a familiar look of confused surprise as they watched the girl who simply met their gaze coolly. _

'_She's lying.' Letting out a short noise of anger she stormed away._

'How did we fall so far apart?' She thought desolately as she paused, her legs aching as she stood on the stairs. Her eyes softened as she stared at the steps before her. Sighing she turned and sat, her hands resting in her lap as she sat, her head resting against the wall. Strands of pink hair fringed her view and she grabbed a lock, flicking it into her view as she thought.

'She used to be my best friend,' she sighed. 'But I love Sasuke-kun and I can't give up on him.' The dark eyes boy appeared in her mind, painting over the memories of friendship as she sighed blissfully, closing her eyes and imagining her love.

He stepped towards her. His hand stretched out and held her own as he smiled. He offered her a thin white ribbon. Her eyes opened sharply as she thought over the ribbon.

'Kind of like when Ino gave me her ribbon,' she thought, remembering the pictures of their friendship.

"_Here Sakura! Happy birthday!" Sakura smiled widely as she took the petite brown bag. Crinkling it open she peered in and laughed immediately as she pulled out a thin blue-green ribbon. The ends were frayed and Sakura giggled as she held up, the sides clearly uneven as it straightened out as much as possible. _

"_I made it, well I had help but I hope you like it!" Ino smiled sweetly and Sakura returned the smile with a nod. _

"_Thank you!" Sakura replied happily, still giggling as she tried to think of how to wear her new present. Finally she began to wrap it around her wrist before Ino stopped her. _

"_No, Sakura!" She chuckled as the girl looked up in innocent confusion. "It's to hold back your hair." Sakura blinked, surprised as she pointed to her pink locks. Ino nodded and forward, gently taking the ribbon from Sakura's hand and tying it around her head. Stepping back Ino beamed proudly as Sakura rushed to a window and stared at her faint reflection. Her hair was now pulled back, a few bangs framing her face as she studied herself._

"_Now you're even prettier." Ino complimented happily before laughing as Sakura hugged her. _

Her lips turned up in a soft smile as she closed her eyes, arms wrapped around her body as she reminisced. 'It's not like that any more though,' She thought sorrowfully, trying to swallow the block of pride sealing the words in her mouth. 'I miss Ino,' she sighed heavily, her eyes opening as she watched the ground.

'I ended that though and there's no point in dwelling.' Standing she groaned, her legs aching from the constant running all over the building with Naruto. 'Naruto,' she remembered the obnoxious blonde she'd been separated from. It was known to everyone he liked her, he'd liked her ever since they'd met but she'd never given him the joy to be anything beyond friends.

'And now I love Sasuke-kun,' she thought as she traveled up the stairs toward the room. 'I hope he's safe, he should be smart enough to come back instead of look for me,' she almost laughed at the idea of an intelligent Naruto but she had to admit that he was surprising to say the least.

'Sasuke-kun and Emiko should be there at least.' Sakura shrugged, picking up a spool of thread from the ground and continuing up diligently. Thinking of the two alone her imagination began to spin. 'Sasuke-kun wouldn't like her though,' Sakura insisted as she paused on the stairs, her hand clutching tightly to the thread.

'She's not really pretty or smart.' Sakura remembered the times she had to help Emiko with all matters school related. It took her ages to understand simple algebra before she simply gave up and copied Shikamaru's paper. She smiled, heart lightened as she tried to picture the two together. 'It wouldn't work,' she decided, taking the final step onto the floor and walking towards the door.

"Have an offer for you." Sakura paused, her hand resting on the handle as she listened to the barely audible voices shifting from the room. 'That's not anyone on the team,' Sakura thought as she dropped her hand, instead leaning forward and pressing her ear against the door.

"You may not be as well known or dangerous as your brother," The man's voice drawled. "But I can make you strong enough to defeat him. To have power." Sakura's eyes widened, her mind racing as she pushed against the door, desperately trying to understand what was going on.

'Do I have the right room?' She leaned away for just a second to confirm that she had the right room. 'Who is that?' Her ear glued to the door as she tried to hear the faint reply.

"How?" Sakura gasped as she immediately recognized the voice. 'Sasuke?' If the door could have bent it would have been then as Sakura strained to listen. 'Who is he talking to? Why does he want to defeat his brother?'

"I'm well known for my connections and abilities. I could teach you. Your brother's in a gang correct? I'm in a similar profession, if you join I can promise you the power to kill your brother." The man replied emotionlessly, his voice humming of a smirk. 'Sasuke-kun wants to kill his brother?' Sakura stepped away, emerald eyes staring at the door in shock and desperate disbelief.

"Here's my card." Steps padded through the room and Sakura covered her mouth with a slender hand, her head whipping around as her eyes darted over the space. 'What should I do?' The man's voice dripped of cruelty and a dead soul without a care of others. It was terrifying, causing Sakura's mind to buzz with fright.

'I don't want to die,' as the door clicked open Sakura dashed up the stairs, not caring to be silent as she bounded as far away from the room as possible. 'Sasuke-kun what's going on?'


	31. Step Back

"The whole world steps aside for the man who knows where he is going." -Anonymous

"Naruto! Stop!" Emiko yelled desperately, panting as she pushed herself to run up the stairs, eyes trained on the blonde thundering around the halls. 'We're going to lose if he keeps this up!' Emiko thought as she took a deep breath, cursing stairs as she rested her hands on her knees and paused.

"Come on! We have to find Sakura-chan!" Naruto hollered back, apparently oblivious to the competitors creaking open their doors to watch him run through the halls. Emiko stumbled under their gazes, painfully aware of the embarrassment burning in her cheeks as she sprinted after him, praying he would shut up.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto bellowed into the stairwell, hands cupping around his mouth to echo the shouts. Emiko frowned, pushing past the burning in her legs and jumping at the blonde as he inhaled deeply, prepared to scream again, and knocking him to the ground instantly covering his mouth with her hand.

"Naruto stop screaming or we're going to get noticed even more than before! Don't be stupid! If we're heard and Sakura's in trouble it could make it worse! Geez Naruto use your head!" Emiko reprimanded, clambering away from the blonde and sitting on the ground, panting slightly as she wiped her hand on her pants. Sighing her shoulders slumped, her back aching as she nudged away the desire to fall asleep right where she sat.

"You sound like Sasuke now!" Naruto retorted indignantly, his blue eyes quivering as he stared at her. Gradually she raised her head, her eyes meeting his calmly.

"Calm down Naruto-"

"No! It's him you like isn't it!" Emiko blinked, scooting back as Naruto stood instantly, his face molded by anger and jealousy. 'What's going on?' she slowly stood, biting back a groan as her body protested the movement, lusting more for sleep than anything else. "Damn it he gets everything! All the attention! All the money! Everything!"

"Naruto!" Emiko yelled, grabbing blindly for his jacket as he turned and fled from sight. She paused, her hand suspended as she continued to digest what had happened. Clutching her hand at his ghost she glowered at the air before she whipped around on her heel and sprinted in the opposite direction, steams of frustration rising as she ran.

Every step trailed with more and she felt her strength draining as she followed the path downward, her eyes glazing over the steps as she strained onward. Finally she let out a hoarse breath and swallowed, welcoming the sight of their base more then ever before. Her legs gave out and she collapsed clumsily to the ground, smiling faintly as she began to force air evenly into her lungs.

'Now I understand why Yukito stayed in sports' she thought to herself as she swallowed again, her lungs tingling as she inhaled. Her eyes grazed over the floor as she rested, snatching every detail of the dirt scuffed on the ground. A spark of difference caught her attention and she tilted her head to see a pastel pink thread lying on the ground, trailing up the stairs and out of view.

Her fingers trailed over the end, fraying the fibers apart before she gingerly grabbed it, her curiosity burning in her mind as she followed the thread up the stairs. Like a rose colored snake it curled in her vision and she hastened her pace as she jogged up the stairs. A few steps turned into many and she marveled silently at the length as the fiber curled in her hand, peeking through her fingers.

"Sakura-chan!" She blinked, raising her head as she scanned the hall hastily for the source. 'That sounded like Naruto,' she thought as her fingers clenched around the thread.

Thunderous bangs crashed through the air, the sound of metal slamming into metal ringing in her ears as she immediately stumbled to sit down, covering her ears with her hands to guard against the racket. It continued, like defeaning applause to her head ache and she leaned forward, clutching her ears as her head began to pound a tempo.

'Ow,' It took her a moment to realize that there was a nudging pain in her stomach, prodding her for attention. Leaning back she recognized her walkie talkie still attacked firmly to her pants. 'How did I forget that thing?' she pondered before she dashed from her spot into a hallway, hoping to escape the echoes still sounding in the stairwell.

"Naruto! Sakura!" She fastened a door behind her and leaned against it, her legs weakening as her strength trickled away. Her finger released the button, the silence elongating sickeningly before her as she waited impatiently for a response.

"Sakura! Naruto! Damn it where are you!" Her voice strangled just beneath a yell as she tried again for their response.

The device buzzed, static crackling into the air before Naruto's voice broke the silence.

"Emiko? Hey! I forgot about the walkie talkies!" Laughter could be heard as static continued to pester the voices, crackling loudly as she listened. "I found Sakura-chan!" His voice cleared and she heard footsteps thudding down the stairs.

"Naruto where are you?" She peeled away from the door, spinning enough to watch the door in high expectations.

"We're going down the stairs." His voice sounded from dual positions, her hand vibrating with the buzz of the walkie talkie before she opened the door, smiling as she saw her friends walking before her.

"Hey." Emiko blinked, her mouth hanging before she burst through the door, her eyes studying the pair as she tried to form words. Sakura's face was bruised, flesh coloring a sickening dark blue-brown. Naruto had a bruise on his face as well, scuffs patterning over his face as his bottom lip was colored with blood.

"What happened!" Naruto managed a lop-sided, sheepish grin.

"Naruto met with some jerk and got in a fight." Sakura explained, dabbing his lip gently to rid it of the blood before she turned to look at Emiko, her emerald eyes colored with evident worry and anxiety.

"Why did you fight him, Naruto?" Emiko questioned softly, ashamed that she hadn't been there to help her friend.

"He called me a drop out! Said I wouldn't ever become anything just because I didn't go to some high end high school. So I told him to be quiet." Naruto grimaced as he rubbed

"Actually you told him to shove it." Sakura corrected him, her lips twitching into a small smile.

"Come on let's get back." Emiko gestured for them to hurry as she hopped down the stairs, peering occasionally around turns to check the path before leading them back towards the base.

**A/n: Alright school is starting soon. I thought it started sooner than it actually does. I have two days to write and upload all the final chapters before I have to get ready for school which starts on monday. This means that it most likely won't be following the timeline of the manga although there will be parts that can relate to the story. Anyway, I've decided how it's going to go and I'm quite excited. . Hope you enjoyed the story I know I'm glad that I posted it up for all the reviews and feeback I've gotten on my writing. **

**-shyshi**


	32. Stand With Determination

Fall seven times, stand up eight."-Japanese Proverb

"How much farther?"

"Naruto be quiet, you're going to attract attention and we'll get in trouble." Emiko hissed, her fingers tightening into a clutching grip on his jacket as she maneuvered the stairs, one of his arms slung over her shoulders while Sakura trudged ahead.

"Emiko," she glanced back, her eyes locking with the brunette's as she motioned silently for the girl to join at her side. 'What now?' Emiko almost groaned as she stumbled forward, tripping over her feet as her muscles prickled with indignant fury. "Who are they?" Sakura murmured, pointing down the stairs. Emiko followed the gesture, squinting as she slouched under the pack of exhaustion. Three figures were silhouetted clearly in the light, their backs welcoming them as they seemed to be watching the door.

'Staring at a door? Intelligent.' Emiko thought sarcastically to herself, her muscles too tired to turn up in a small smile.

"What should we do?" Sakura questioned quietly, syllables shaking as she spoke. Emiko glanced over her shoulder to see Naruto leaning sitting on the steps, smiling profusely under her gaze. 'I don't know,' Emiko admitted silently, studying the wounds decorating the blonde's body.

'That one kid brought a gun and a knife,' she remembered the assailant, shuddering as the memory doused her thoughts in ice. 'If they're all this serious…' the thought drifted through her mind as she scrutinized each member. One seems to be wearing a heavy coat but she guessed by the build it was a male. The girl of the group wore a tan camouflage sweatshirt, her long black hair pulled back in a small ponytail. The last member was male as well with spiky black hair and a dark camouflaged jacket.

Just as Emiko stepped forward the group disbanded, stepping away from the door and turning. By the fierce grumbles coming from the group it seemed they were angry, their heads tilting occasionally towards the door as they ambled away.

"Alright screw this!" The dark haired boy yelled before he swiveled forcefully on his heel and ran at the door. Tremors passed through the ground, the air shifting with faint whistles as the boy kicked repeatedly at the door each time causing the door to shudder under the pressure.

'What the hell!' Emiko stared at them before turning to Sakura who seemed stunned into paralysis.

"Oh Sasuke-kun!" The boy sneered, the door rattling dangerously in place as he delivered a whistling kick to its middle. 'They're after Sasuke?' Emiko's eyes widened, her hand clenching to the railing as her legs wobbled beneath her, suddenly weighing down as though her bones were comprised of lead.

A crack snapped through the air, brushing aside thoughts and clearing the atmosphere into a sense of morbid tranquility. The door creaked open, the darkness peaking out at them like a mischievous child.

"We have to stop them!" Sakura blurted out, her voice screeching as she stumbled forward. Naruto followed quickly, taking a position by Sakura's side as the group of three turned towards them. Emiko froze her mind humming painfully as she gripped the railing. The trio looked, to simply put it, dangerous.

The boy wearing the heavy furred coat had a tattoo covering most of his fact, bringing to memory the person they'd fought with Kakashi. As her friends stood before the trio she noticed the female's dark eyes harden, training on Sakura with venom of disdain towards her.

"What are you doing! What do you want with Sasuke-kun!" Sakura demanded, her hands shaking at her sides. The boy wearing the camouflage offered a glare as a response. 'Damn it Emiko move! You can't just desert them!' Emiko ordered herself, hearing soft thuds as she faltered down the stairs.

"We're going to kill him." The female retorted hotly, still glowering at Sakura who seemed unnerved by the constant stare.

"Damn it all it's just a competition!" Emiko retorted angrily, almost to the point of pulling on her hair as she tried to knock reason into their head. The boy's eyes met hers, a torrent of pride and fury swirling in the dark depths. 'God, do they go searching through rabbit holes to find these people!' Emiko thought before her gaze switched to the heavily coated boy.

"Zaku, I will go in and complete the assignment." He ordered, his eyes flickering over the Emiko and the others.

"But Dosu-"

"No. They're wounded and tired. They won't put up a fight." The female smirked, Sakura shaking faintly as she felt the eager malice edging through the air. Naruto jumped forward, swaying for a moment as he tripped over his own foot before he pointed at the group, his eyes narrowed in anger.

"You all should leave now before I beat your sorry asses!" He yelled hoarsely, waving his finger through the air as he proceeded to point at each person, only seeming to aggravate them even more as he prodded his finger in their faces. 'Shit.' The word resounded in Emiko's mind.

"Naruto! Stop that!" Sakura ordered, the blonde's attention turning to her with indignation. That distraction was all they needed as Zaku recoiled his fist and slammed it into Naruto's stomach, his other fist striking seconds later to the blonde's face. Emiko's eyes widened as Naruto sailed back through the air and slammed into the railing with an acidic crash. His head fell forward, blonde tresses obscuring his face as he slumped over, apparently unconscious.

Emiko gulped, struggling to breathe as she turned to Sakura who seemed terrified where she stood, her eyes darting over the scene in terror.

"My turn." The female chimed as her dark eyes danced upon Sakura's frame. They became a pair as the final boy disappeared into the room, creaking the door shut behind him with a furtive click.

"Emiko is Naruto okay?" Sakura whispered emerald eyes frozen on the girl's every move.

"I'd have to go check." The words struggled from her mouth as she waited anxiously, every cell of her body tingling under her senses, testing every particle with anxiety.

"Go." Sakura squeaked and Emiko nodded, not daring to match eyes with anyone as she ducked their gazes and sprinted to Naruto's side, skidding to a stop beside him as she lifted his face into view. Blood leaked from his mouth as his head leaned against her hand, his hair falling in a messy tumble, the locks dirtied and tainted by blood spatter.

"He's-" She lifted her head to tell Sakura and froze, her mouth hanging open as she tried to grasp reality. Sakura sat on the ground, her head leaning forward as fingers twisted painfully in her rose colored hair. Following the arm up Emiko watched as the girl stared down at her friend with cruel satisfaction, occasionally jerking the locks painfully to pry a strangled cry from Sakura.

'Why that little-' Emiko burst from the ground and raced at her, intent on smashing the look from the girl's face. Feet away a shadow jumped into her path, fist recoiled back, but it was too late as Emiko tried to dodge only to feel the fist slam painfully into her stomach causing her to double over, leaning slightly on the hand for support as she coughed up a concoction of spit and blood.

Instantly the hand vanished and she stumbled forward. Pain racked her body as his foot collided with her side knocking her from her feet and sending her skidding into a wall with an agonizing crack.

"Emiko!" Sakura cried out, small sobs suffocating her voice and Emiko opened her eyes. Groaning Emiko pushed her top half up, using her arms as props as she tried to move her legs. 'OW!' She winced, gritting her teeth against the sharp spasms of pain skipping through her body. Her legs moved under her and she stood slowly, clutching her fists as she tried to build a barrier against the blitz of pain.

"Your hair is so soft and clean." The girl's voice rang through the atmosphere, shifting it with discontent and contempt. Sakura gasped, tears falling as she squeezed her eyes shut to the world while the girl continued to wretch her fingers through the pink tresses.

"Sakura." Emiko breathed, her pain dripping into a deep cavern as she felt it lessen, now ignored. The girl looked up to Emiko before turning to Zaku who seemed arrogantly pleased she had stood, the look on his face reading how he thought the sounds of his knuckles cracking would be her coffin nails.

Tripping over her feet still Emiko raced at him, gathering her bearings as she rushed him. His fist struck out but she dodged, immediately fastening her hand around his arm and twisting it. Pulling back she kicked at him to feel an iron grip tightening around her ankle, her ankle protesting the sudden pressure.

A frown creased her face before she fastened her grip and kicked up with her other leg, using him to stay up. A satisfying crunch met her ears as she unanimously released her grip with his and dropped to the ground. Another groan passed as she fell on her side, her muscles now fiercely protesting to the extremes. Her side was sore, her ankle pounded like a drum, her legs screamed for rest, her stomach ached and she could taste blood washing through her mouth.

'This is the most un-academic test ever.' Emiko thought to herself as she pushed herself to her hands and knees and gradually stood up, scrutinizing Zaku with a sense of victory as blood cascaded from his most likely broken nose.

'That's what you get your pill popper.' Emiko insulted him silently, wondering for a moment why pill popper had come to her mind. However, she wasn't allotted time for more than a few seconds as the boy's face contorted in rage, his eyes burning furiously as he bore into her. His lips twisted into a belittling smirk before he reached behind him. Coming back into view she noticed a knife shimmering in his hand.

'God damn it what is it with knives!' Humor returned for a short encore in her thoughts, trying desperately to find another passage that didn't lead to her macabre thoughts. 'He pulled it from his ass.' She chuckled for a moment, stopping as she felt her lungs heave, a metallic taste coating her mouth as she felt a small creek of blood dribble through her lips.

A whimper sounded from the side and Emiko glanced at Sakura who's eyes were shut as her captor's lips continued to move, spewing molten thoughts onto Sakura. 'I have to help her.' Green eyes opened slightly as Sakura caught the mismatched gaze, tears still washing rivers own her face as the girl yanked viciously again.

"No looking away." Emiko's eyes widened and her heart stopped as she heard Zaku's voice drawled inches in front of her. Air hissed as his fist collided into her stomach. Her body crumpled around his hand, blood and spit flying from her mouth as she struggled to breathe.

Cold metal pressed into the back of her neck, strands of plain brown hair falling into her view as she felt the edge press into her flesh. A choker of blood trailed down her neck, her skin prickling as her hairs stood on end, her lungs caught in twine of fear too scared to move as she stared at the floor.

'Oh god…' Droplets of life splashed onto the ground and she stared at the crimson mirror slowly expanding across the floor.

"Stop it!" Screamed Sakura and Emiko blinked, her eyes burning dully as a knot caught in her throat. Tears welled forward, brimming her eyes as the liquid reflection steadily pooling on the ground mixed with her tears.

"Don't hurt her!" Emiko winced as the blade dragged like live fire across her skin, new rivulets of blood searing down her neck to the ground. 'I don't want to die though,' Her body shook despite the bearing fangs of the blade still grazing painfully over her flesh and she swallowed the cough beating around in her throat.

"Shut up you!" The female's voice rang out harshly and Sakura's small squeak could be heard through the silence.

"Kin you should show her some manners." Emiko gritted her teeth as she heard the comment, arrogance and malicious amusement hanging to every syllable. A gasp sounded before Kin responded with a cruel laugh.

'I can't. They can't hurt her!' Emiko thought in terror. 'But I can't do anything…' Water brimmed her eyes as she stared into the ruby imitation of her face painted across the floor. Lines were sketched across her face, either from dirt, blood or exhaustion. Her hair was a mess, curling tendrils around her face and she noticed severed strands now dyed as they laid in the pool of blood.

'I can't lose much more blood,' as she thought it her stomach lurched, a wave of nausea and tire passing through in waves through her body until it crashed in her mind. Her eyelids closed a little, her eyes falling from focus like a camera's as she tried to regain a shred of thought or sanity.

"What are you doing?" Kin's voice seemed oddly far away, stretched over miles of terrain and distorted into a blur amongst Emiko's thoughts.

A soft thud reached out to her thoughts and she dragged her gaze to Sakura, the sights fringing in darkness as she felt a new trail of blood decorating her neck. The pain was gone as her thoughts distorted into simple abstraction.

The only thing showing the scenes were the distinctive colors as she recognized after a few moment's Sakura's hair. In two places? Emiko groaned, her teeth gritting as she felt the blade race down her back, leaving a sufficient scratch in her skin and ripping through her shirt.

Sudden weakness met her as she felt Zaku's fist leave her stomach, the cool talons of the blade leaving as well. Her limbs cried for nothing more than rest as she collapsed to her hands and knees, too far away to realize it was her own blood that coated her hands and arms in a warm embrace.

Air whispered past Emiko's ears and she felt her arms weaken, her fingernails scratching at the surface as she tried to stay on all fours. Her eyes closed as she coughed the mirror rippling as she drained her mouth of liquid.

Opening her eyes she shakingly rose her gaze to see Zaku on the ground, Sakura on top as she shoved his own weapon into his flesh. His fingers clenched into a fist and Emiko blinked away the blurs, dangerously aware of the darkness burning and nipping at her vision. Sakura bent over and Emiko stared, curious as her eyes widened, watching as Zaku struck repeatedly at her head.

Legs appeared before Emiko and she strained to move her head, finally feeling the shakes as she lifted her head to see Kin standing before her, glowering down at her. Before Emiko could react the girl kicked, her foot making a powerful contact to Emiko's shoulder as the brunette flew sideways, tumbling before she slammed into a wall. Wounds seared as tears leaked from her eyes.

Opening one eyes she blinked, her vision hazy as she glimpsed a blob of pink and black still connected as they had been moments earlier. Her stomach wretched and Emiko let out a strangled sob as she tried to move her arm. Agony coursed with her blood, smearing across her mind as she closed her eyes, grimacing as she tried to move.

"Zaku, Kin." Everything silenced as the voice of the leader sliced through. "We're leaving." Emiko's eyes shot open, widening as the world came into a sudden sharp focus, the everything amplified against her as her head ache kicked up a notch.

'Does that mean? Sasuke…?' Contents of her stomach swirled beneath the surface as she felt the urge to throw up, horror and fear constricting on her organs as she stopped simply functioning. 'No…'

Sakura gasped as she was thrown against the railing beside Naruto and Zaku stood, a wound fresh upon his arm as his coat was steadily stained. Kin joined his side but not after throwing each of the wounded a hateful glare.

"Let's go. I'm sick of being around trash." Zaku retorted. Pain melted away in the heat of the fury and wounded pride now burning in Emiko and she pushed herself back onto her knees. Standing slowly she glared at them, challenging them to try and back it up as she stood defiantly before them, eyes burning with unbridled determination. Zaku scoffed at her and Emiko understood, she must've looked pathetic with the necklaces of blood around her neck and bruises forming beneath the dirt and scratching along her skin.

'I don't care they're not getting away with this.' Emiko thought as she watched Zaku step forward, grinning with full malevolence. His grin flickered and disappeared as a hand appeared at his arm, restraining his next step.

"No, we leave." The heavily coated man stated, apparently taking the position of leader as Zaku stepped back, grudgingly heeding the words.

"Fine." They turned and Emiko stared at their backs as they descended the stairs silently. Minutes passed and it wasn't until she heard the loud sound of a door shutting that she dropped to her knees and fell forward. The floor welcomed with a chilling embrace as she closed her eyes, her lungs smoldering with each shallow breath.

"Emiko." Sakura murmured as she felt a hand resting on her forehead and Emiko closed her eyes, relishing the smooth feeling before she grunted in response. "Emiko there's something wrong with this competition." The brunette dind't respond, her breathing becoming uneven as she coughed out a speck of blood. "They left the building. It's like…they aren't actually supposed to be in this competition," she paused, "or like they came here for only one reason."

"Emiko? Emiko!" Sakura lifted the girl from the ground and turned her over, her eyes widening as fear pumped through her veins like a virus. "Emiko!" The brunette lay still, her unique eyes shielded from the world and her mouth slightly open, the blood on her lips and trailing down her chin dried and scuffs over her face. Hesitantly Sakura turned her gaze to Emiko's chest. Relief washed over, her hands shaking from the sudden release as she saw the uneven breathing.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto muttered and her eyes turned to the blonde, lighting up as she saw him awake, rubbing his head as he struggled to his feet. 'That's…everyone…' Her eyes flew to the door and the darkness waiting like a predator beyond it. Without a thought back she burst through, the door crashing open as she stared into the shadows.

"Sasuke-kun? Sasuke-kun!" She yelled for him, tears gathering in her eyes as only cruel silence dropped.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto called out, clearly confused. Gasping she turned back to him, watching the blonde as her hands shook.

"Sasuke-kun's not here."

**A/n: Hey! I want to do a Q and A thing with the Naruto characters and Emiko. And me, it would be something fun to do where you can ask whatever questions you want. Why? Because I want to do a really funny piece that involves these characters. Anyway please message me or put ideas in reviews I will use all of them...unless it's something crude. Hell you can even ask me why I'm such a bad writer or how I thought up the Mary-Sue(Enraged Karupin) Please send me something -beggy eyes- Hope you enjoyed this installment. OO and you can ask why I named the story Iris! Although Sailor Luna already knows why...Anyway, PLEASE!**

**-shyshi**


	33. Like Brothers and Sisters

"Human beings are the only creatures on earth that allow their children to come back home."-Bill Cosby

"_Sasuke-kun's not here." _

The simple words echoed a thousand times again. Feet pounded through the halls as Sakura raced ahead, tears streaming down her cheeks as she tried to fight away the fearful images replaying in gory resolution across her mind. 'Sasuke-kun where are you?'

Naruto watched her run, bewildered and wounded as she raced away never glancing back as she searched for the Uchiha. Blue eyes turned to the girl lying on the ground and he jumped into the room, pulling Emiko after him before shutting the door and flicking on a flashlight.

'Okay, supplies. Maybe there are some bandages or something…' Light beamed through the shadows, fighting away the darkness as it jumped from place to place, scanning the scenery for what he was looking for.

"Naruto…what are you doing?" A raspy voice sounded from the ground and he spun in place, shinning the strong light into his friend's place. Out of instinct a hand shielded her face from the rays, grimacing as she tried to gaze past the light to the blonde.

"Naruto damn it move that light somewhere else!" Emiko groaned before the calm welcome of darkness surrounded her again.

"Sorry." Replied Naruto as he pointed the light in another direction. "Do you know if we have any bandages?" He questioned after a few moments of calm silence. Emiko paused, her arms shaking violently as she pushed herself into sitting up.

"I don't know. I don't think so." Emiko finally responded, her voice hoarse as she grimaced, feeling the familiar aches spreading through her body. Abrupt sounds of fibers shredding replied and Emiko's ear perked.

"Naruto! What are you doing!" The sound stopped.

"Ripping my shirt for bandages for your neck." His response was spoken as though it was a daily routine.

"Naruto my shirt's already ripped," her fingers grazed over the two shreds of her shirt. It had been cut through the middle resulting in two halves of the back of her shirt almost like a jacket put on in reverse.

"You'd have to take that off though." Naruto muttered, apparently nervous about the situation close to being created between them. Emiko's face flushed before she nodded; only remembering the darkness seconds later.

"I can take your shirt or jacket." Emiko offered, hoping the uneasy feeling brewing in her mind would ease away. Laughter broke from her as she felt the cloth land on her head, blocking her view as it rested on her face. Light disappeared allowing a brief sense of privacy as Emiko slowly edged her shirt off.

Minutes later she returned the favor and managed a weak toss of her shirt in Naruto's general direction.

"You missed." He laughed before the noises of a shirt being torn to pieces returned, filling the gap of silence. Blinking, Emiko focused into the darkness, her mind whirling with questions, confusion and a dull metronome of pain. 'He was mad not too long ago…' Emiko thought.

"Where's Sakura?" Emiko lifted her head to stare into the darkness. There was a pause in the noises, faint shuffling taking its place.

"She ran off…Sasuke's missing." Naruto's response was subdued, his former cheer running from the hurt in the sentence. Emiko's stomach dropped, her eyes falling back to stare at the ground. Worry plagued her now but she knew better than to voice it when Naruto was there, apparently hurt by Sakura's actions and already angered by the Uchiha's popularity and good fortune.

"Naruto you can run after her." Emiko suggested, honestly supporting the idea. 'I would follow her but…' Thoughts drifted to her physical condition. 'Not to mention that I'm an insane nut.' Her stomach grumbled at the reference and the brunette smiled faintly.

'Cheese and crackers...and sushi…oh and rice balls…oh some shrimp sounds good…and rice…and some leeks…oh hell I'm starving.' Emiko groaned, missing the simple taste of food, the aroma of the kitchen. 'The warmth of not being almost killed,' she added sarcastically before she felt a series of events.

First her stomach continued to fester in its starving state, begging for the taste of ramen. As she was busy trying to ignore the sounds Naruto began to tie a bandage over her neck, causing a few hisses of pain and stumbling before he doused her in light and continued to fasten her neck with a necklace of bandages.

After that Naruto tossed a can of food and a water bottle at her, forgetting the light blinding her as they hit her in the stomach, causing a new series of pain to spread routinely through her body before she fell onto her back. It was just about as stupid a move as the wound on her back instantly lit alive with pain causing her to grimace and growl at the new restrictions on movement.

"Naruto," Emiko spoke through his constant apologies, raising herself slowly back into the sitting position. "You want to follow her, don't you?" His hand dropped to his side, the flashlight resting its beam on the ground to weakly illuminate the room. Shadows sharpened everywhere and Emiko sighed, her head still pounding with weakened fervor.

"No!" Naruto lied blatantly and Emiko raised a brow to express her disbelief. "Yeah well you want to follow Sasuke-teme too!"

"What does that have to do with this?" Emiko said, exasperated as she caught his blue eyes. Anger flickered through them, frustration. Straining she kept her expression calm, focusing on trying to understand what was happening. Just as it came, the anger disappeared to be replaced with resignation as he sighed heavily.

"I know you like him. Everyone does." Naruto spoke, his voice edging closer to anger. Beneath the words it seemed like a silhouette of jealous and admiration lingered silently. 'Is he jealous? It sounds like he looks up to him too though,' Emiko realized as her eyes softened on his figure. Forcing her legs beneath her Emiko stood and gradually made her way towards him, ignoring the look of confusion and brotherly worry as his eyes snapped to hers.

Without a word she reached forward, grabbing his jacket and pulling him into a hug. "Naruto nothing's going to happen. You're still like my brother." She muttered, hoping it would be the words he needed to hear. She shifted on her feet, her eyes closing against the nausea from her movement, and she held onto him like a sister would to her brother.

The moment ticked away and Emiko pulled back, studying his face for a sign of the boy she'd known for so long.

"Let's go!" Naruto beamed, punching his fist into the air so fast Emiko tripped backwards and fell painfully to the ground.

"Ow! Naruto-baka!"

"Oops…"

**A/n: Seriously people I want ideas for the interview thingy. :) Any amount of questions or ideas! No limit! Please! I would beg but I can't do that well...if I tried you'd probably end up smacking me with a frying pan or something... -shyshi**


	34. Untitled

"You know the oxygen masks on airplanes? I don't think there's really any oxygen. I think they're just to muffle the screams"-Rita Rudner**(found on THE LORD KYUUBY NO KITSUNE's profile.)**

Running through the building Sakura had one mission, ignoring the ache still pulsing in her head as she searched for her love. 'Sasuke-kun where are you?' she thought anxiously as she sprinted through a corridor of doors, brushing away the looks bearing into her as she passed the rooms.

'If he's not here…' Sakura ran up the last flight of stairs, panting heavily as she pushed onward, almost collapsing into the next hallway. Blinking the spots danced before her eyes as her hand rested on the wall, her fingernails scratching at the surface as she tried to hold to it.

"You." Sakura's head snapped up, her eyes pausing before they trained on the group standing before her. Before her stood three people, one whom she recognized to be the girl she roomed with. 'Tinari? Tenari? Temari?' Name evaded her as she regarded the blonde and her companions.

Dressed in all black and dangled with a few chains, stood another boy, his eyes darkened by make up and she noticed with slight surprise the make up trailed over his face in simple patterns and over his lips. 'Make up on a guy?' She blinked and looked to the final member.

Immediately she noticed his tuft of fiery red hair before slowly moving her eyes to stare at his. Chilling teal matched her, chips of ice forcing away her curiosity as he gaze away nothing. Shadows rimmed his eyes although she couldn't tell if it was make-up or fatigue.

"What are you doing here?" The girl spoke, hands on her hips as she regarded Sakura suspiciously.

"I-I'm looking for someone. My boyfriend, Sasu-"

"Uchiha?" The boy clad in black spoke up in disbelief before glancing at his red-headed companion. "Wouldn't have thought he'd show up again after that fight, right Gaara?" Sakura blinked, eyebrows raised in confusion.

"Shut up." Gaara replied coldly. Sakura watched as the boy stiffened under the remark but obliged, his wary glances at Gaara clear as he stepped back.

"What fight? Did he get in a fight? Have you seen him?" Sakura replied a hand clutching at her shirt as her eyes extended in suspense.

"Gaara and he got in a fight at Gideon once." Temari replied after an elongated pause. "And no," her eyes hardened upon Sakura, bearing into her like a boulder. "We haven't seen him." Sakura managed a quiet nod, her eyes shifting over each person. Without a word Gaara turned and Sakura noticed the large tan backpack.

'I wonder what's in that…' she thought to herself as she studied the backpack as he started to walk away, the others following quietly like puppies. Sakura sighed, her eyes dropping to stare at the ground in defeat. 'Where is he?'

"You." Sakura's head shot up again as she saw the girl peeking over her shoulder, standing confidently. A hand rose and she pointed down. "Saw him leaving." She smirked, eyes sparking in apparent amusement at Sakura's shocked and horrified reaction. 'He left?'

Her feet stumbled, tripping over each other as she scrambled for the stairs. Skipping steps she raced down the stairs, jumping onto the landings and pushing against her shaking knees as she would continue downwards.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Emiko stood calmly, her arms folded and her eyes downcast as she stared vacantly at the ground. Blood spread it's tentacles across the floor, splatters smeared across the floor like an unwanted tattoo. Naruto rushed forward, air swishing around her as he appeared before her beaming.

"Come on we have to find Sakura-chan!" Naruto declared loudly, grinning broadly as he jumped away from her, waving his arms energetically.

"Naruto I can't go fast and I'm exhausted." Emiko muttered, her mood fouled by the sores all over her body. Hearing the words Naruto's face dropped to one of pure sadness and disappointment. Emiko groaned, closing her eyes as she tried to ignore the look.

"Fine." She relinquished and Naruto let out a loud whoop of success. 'Never mind the fact that I'm beyond tired and beaten,' she thought to herself as she opened her eyes and followed Naruto to the stairs.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted. Emiko's eyebrows furrowed as she scowled, fingers rubbing her temples as the shout played like a speaker to her head ache. Too exhausted too reprimand him for being loud Emiko stayed silent, lagging behind as he began to jog eagerly up the stairs.

"Naruto!" Eyes snapped open into attention as Emiko recognized the girl running down the stairs. A few steps away from the landing Sakura jumped and landed weakly before them, breathing heavily and gasping for more air as she collapsed before them.

"Sasuke-kun left." Emiko's eyes widened, her hands shaking as she listened. Naruto's fingers clenched into a fist as his sides as his eyes fell into shadow, his lip quivering in anger. Sakura gasped and tilted her head to stare at them, her deep green eyes shaking in pain as she searched their faces.

"Left the building?" Emiko finally spoke. Sakura only managed to nod and Emiko dropped her shoulders, slouching as though weighed with the sky upon her shoulders.

'If he left…we're probably disqualified…' Her hand curled into a fist and her eyes flitted up to Sakura's before traveling to Naruto's furious expression. 'This was an important chance…and he had to leave,' the words echoed in her thoughts, fury dripping from the letters, blowing away the ashes of any other thoughts. Pain disappeared to be replaced with the anger raging like a temperamental ocean inside her.

"Why would he leave?" Emiko muttered, restraining the urge to curse him. 'This was our chance! And he left! Why?' Sakura stood slowly, accepting Naruto's extended hand to help herself to her feet while she tried to explain.

"I came after Naruto and I were separated; there was some guy in the room with Sasuke-kun." Shivers tickled up her spine as she spoke. "He talked to Sasuke-kun said he could help him become powerful enough to kill his brother." Naruto's eyes widened, having never heard the story and he shot a glance at Emiko to see she was regarding the wall with interest. "He might have gone with him."

"What do we do now?" Sakura whispered desperately, her eyes searching her friends for a cushion of comfort and determination, something to show her it would be alright. Emiko finally dragged her head up and met Sakura's gaze softly, sadness pooling in the irises as she offered a small smile.

'What do we do? He left, we'll be disqualified.' Brief anger swelled before her imagination burst forth, playing pictures of Sasuke in her head like a painful slide show in her mind. She sighed. 'We can't leave him though. If he's doing something stupid we should stop him. He could be in danger.'

"We'll go after him."


	35. Memories

**A/n: Okay so I'm very guilty of that offense...I used a ton of memories in this section but I still like it. Maybe it's because I wrote it when I was dead beat tired...anyway. Yep...Close to the end! -shyshi**

"We do not know the true value of our moments until they have undergone the test of memory."-Georges Duhamel

It was taking that simple step out of the building, stepping past the threshold back into the world outside that really did it. That world they'd left behind seemed so far and distant, warped by the shrouds playing on their qualities, almost plucking the strings of their fears with cruel enjoyment to see who would break first. It all changed once they'd stepped out of that building.

They were now disqualified, unable to continue on, to try and find that pot of gold at the end of their broken rainbow. But they had another assignment now, Sasuke was missing and out of pure worry for their friend they'd made that step out of the building.

For Emiko it seemed the hardest, just moving her foot as she stood in the doorway, her eyes cast down at the ground. The others were waiting anxiously, unable to understand what was conflicting through her eyes as they yelled for her to come. Three out of four had willingly left the competition but she still held to the naïve hope like the single thread of life still connecting her to her dreams.

'If I leave, it's over. No scholarship possibilities. I can't go.' Distant voices pointed out the obvious truth: she was already disqualified with the rest of her team. It would be foolish now to do anything but try and find Sasuke. 'But, maybe there's some chance!' She protested desperately, her eyes lifting from the ground to her friends faces before she trained on the scenery behind them. 'I need that money! I can't stay in Aka neighborhood forever, this is my chance…'

Knots formed in her throat as she blinked, staring in the distance in faint surprise. A friendly house stood behind them, the traditional fencing and green grass sprouting across the lawn, a porch on one side with an empty swing resting peacefully in the wind. Perched against the side was a large structure, almost like a white fence crossed with another and enlarged against the side of the house.

'Like the one at Sasuke's house,' she realized, staring at the plants twisting through the structure.

_Emiko noticed what looked like a black wooden fence. 'One of those contraptions for flowers to grow on,' her luck had struck again and she smiled. One hand grasped to the structure while the other fought through the tangle of overgrown plant that had grown unchecked over the fence. _

_To her joy the structure was sound and after minutes of struggling with whatever had grown she felt the victory of her hand grazing the smooth surface of a balcony. Her other hand hastily grabbed onto the ledge and she pulled herself up, feeling the relief of the solid surface beneath her. _

A flood gate of memories burst forth just thinking of that one, the memories playing like a perfectly scripted movie against her conscious.

"_I took my buffalo to the store! When we got there it hit the doo-" Emiko stopped suddenly and raised a hand to her head. Resting there was a rag. Still grinning she grabbed it and inspected it for a moment before turning to Sasuke who was now rag-less. _

"_Uchiha! That's not nice I didn't finish the song!" Emiko declared before she threw the rag back and watched gleefully as it successfully perched back upon his raven hair._

_---------------_

"_An hour and 22 minutes."_

"_Are you both going to stay here for the whole hour and 22 minutes?"_

"_21."_

_----------------_

"_If I fall off this desk and die I'm going to haunt you forever. Forever."_

_-----------------_

"_How's breaky-fast coming?" Emiko stepped away and peered into the pot. "UCHIHA! You're supposed to keep it from being overdone! No breakfast for you then." A small rustling caused Emiko to jolt and she turned to see Sasuke sitting in a chair, a bowl of ramen in his hand with chopsticks in the other._

"_It's overdone." _

"_Shut up Uchiha you were the one who was supposed to be watching the ramen!"_

_-----------_

_Fury that compelled her to lunge at Toya with a newfound level of hell reserved specifically for him. An arm wrapped around her waist yet it didn't do anything to curb her sudden rage. _

"_Calm down." Sasuke's voice ordered and Emiko gradually felt her fury reduce to a boiling madness barely suppressed from her mouth or fist._

_----------------_

_Carefully he crouched down and Emiko felt a gentle hand grasp her ankle as the Uchiha inspected the wound._

_-----------------_

"_You look like an idiot." Sasuke remarked and Emiko managed a turn to meet his gaze. _

"_Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."_

_-------------------_

'_Naruto…' her eyes widened and she grasped like a drunken person for the door. Suddenly her body heaved back and she struggled against the person now holding her back. "No! Let me go! I have to help him!"_

"_Barging in there isn't going to help anything." Emiko tilted her head to see Sasuke restraining her, his grip gradually lessening on her as she seemed to calm._

_------------------------_

_Emiko wildly spun to face the girl but found her emerald gaze elsewhere. Emiko followed her lead and felt her stomach tighten as she found herself staring at a lifeless body. Clad in dark blue and white. 'Sasuke…' _

"_What are you doing?" Kakashi's voice rang in her mind and she tilted her head to look at the cop. A slip of cover passed over her eyes for a moment but it went unnoticed as she took another weak step towards the Uchiha. _

"_I'm going to go and yell at him for being a jerk."_

"_Not now." Kakashi ordered but Emiko feigned abrupt deafness as she continued to walk towards the ambulance, intent on making sure Sasuke never did something so stupid again. _

_So, now there she was, hand cuffed to a stop sign._

_-------------------_

"_I'm coming." She declared and stepped into the ambulance. _

"_Are you the girlfriend or relative?" A woman asked and before reason had its chance Emiko nodded resolutely._

_She watched Sasuke intently. 'If he dies…'_

_-------------------_

"_He's awake and able to move around." The nurse stated calmly. "He consented to seeing someone before he leaves. He said that if he had to he'd see the idiot girl with mismatched eyes." The sushi that had been resting peacefully in Emiko's chopsticks popped out of the grip when she pressed upon the chopsticks in surprise._

_------------------------_

_Emiko let out a loud yell of shock, accompanied ever gracefully by the loud crash as the bed was toppled onto its side. The contents lying on the mattress scattered to the floor making an orchestra of sound as they skidded in different directions. Charcoal colored eyes focused on Emiko as she rushed towards his room._

"_Shut up Uchiha."_

_------------------_

"_Are you trying to meditate?" Sasuke finally asked, the sense of mockery easily traceable in his voice. _

"_Iie. If I was I wouldn't be trying to around you." She replied shortly although her voice wasn't as high strung and her features relaxed. "So why am I here oh annoying rabbit one?"_

"_Did that fall rattle the sanity from your head?"_

"_No the rest of that fell out a long time ago." _

"_When?"_

"_When I decided to try and be your friend."_

"_I would've guessed it was when you're mother dropped you on your head as a baby."_

"_Not funny Uchiha! Besides you're one to judge. Who knows how many wires were unscrewed in that head of yours when you were a kid."_

"_Wires don't unscrew." _

"_Shut up Uchiha they could!"_

"_No they couldn't."_

"_If you wouldn't contradict me then they would!"_

_------------------_

"_Your hand writing is terrible." The mood cracked and Emiko sighed before allowing her head to thud upon the table. _

"_Uchiha you're terrible."_

_----------------------_

"_Shut up." Sasuke replied harshly, his eyes hardened as he continued to hold both her ankle at her eyes. "Don't blame your lack of money for why you go to a shitty school and why you can't go to college. Or why you can't get simple medications to prevent you from dying."_

_---------------_

"_Kigurashi, you're forgetting a shoe." Her wonderfully planned cold shoulder crumbled as she looked to her feet to see he was right. 'Damn…' _

_-----------------_

"_I don't want waffles…" A hand flew to Emiko's mouth and her eyes widened in pure enjoyment as she recognized the voice. _

"'_Cause they get caught in my braces…" Emiko's cheeks puffed out and she closed her eyes in an attempt to not laugh. 'Who would've thought it…Sasuke sleep talks.'_

_----------------_

_Hesitantly Emiko rose to crouch beside the bed, her blue and brown eyes gazing at the Uchiha with a softened gaze. His features were peaceful, almost happy while he slept. The moonlight brushed across his pale face while locks of raven hair fell in odd directions. Strands graced over his face and Emiko smiled faintly before she extended a hand and softly touched the lock before she moved it gently from his face._

_-------------------_

"_Hey! Uchiha! Open up! We're here to have fun!" Emiko shouted at the door._

_--------------------_

"_I followed Uchiha-san and heard he told a doctor to give you medication and he said he would pay for it." At this Megumi's eyes flashed to a different emotion._

_--------------------_

"_I think Uchiha-san cares about you. I'm glad you care for him."_

_--------------------_

"_You messed up my bed." Emiko shot up in the bed, successfully ejecting the pillow that had been on her head off the bed. Little by little she turned her head to see Sasuke standing in the doorway. _

_------------------_

"_You're a klutz."_

_--------------------_

"_Uchiha open up Megumi's killing me!" Emiko lied as she knocked softly on the door. _

"_Good."_

_------------------_

"_Sasuke! Open the stupid door and just agree to join!"_

"_Emiko, I'll join."_

_----------------_

"_High Five Sasuke!"_

"_Emiko! Don't hit Sasuke-kun!"_

"_Well he was being a jerk!"_

_-----------------_

'_Don't leave…' Emiko pleaded silently, a dash of hope rising before it crashed to the melody of Sasuke's footsteps as he walked away._

_-------------------_

"_You're going to get sick." He stated and Emiko sighed. Before she could say anything something warm grasped her hand and she felt Sasuke tug her away from the building towards their temporary home._

_---------------------_

"_Sakura you might want to leave Sasuke alone since he's sleeping." Emiko commented carelessly before she turned to Naruto who wasted no time in challenging her to a race._

"_5…4…3…2…1…"_

"_Seventeen!" Emiko interrupted noisily causing Naruto to nearly tip over from surprise. _

"_Seventeen!" Naruto bellowed as he collected himself. Emiko laughed for a moment before she nodded calmly. _

"_It's my favorite number." _

_----------------_

"_What is it with all the boys! Why don't you knock! I was changing!"_

"_Hn. Not like there would've been anything to see anyway." Sasuke commented dryly._

"_I hope someone, someday stabs you with a raisin."_

_---------------_

"_You're confusing."_

"_Hn."_

_---------------_

_Without hesitation he grabbed her hand. _

"_Tonight. By the bridge. 11:52."_

"_Not until you tell me what's going on!"_

"_Show."_

_------------------------_

"_Sasuke!" She'd run all the way from the other side of the building. "I came as fast as I could."_

_---------------_

"_Sasu-" The name died in her mouth as she felt the sudden warmth of his lips on hers._

_-------------_

'_I love you Sasuke…'_

_-------------_

"_Do you hate me?"_

"_I hate you. You cause problems I can't brush off."_

_----------------_

"_Sasuke. Not Uchiha. Past formalities."_

_--------------_

"_I'm not going to be another fan girl who swoons just cause you're around and I'm not going to allow you to mess with me for your own cruel amusement." _

"_You think this is amusing to me? It isn't. You cause problems, I kiss you to prove I don't care and for some reason I can't stop thinking about you. My life's ambition is to kill my brother but now I'm losing focus. It's your fault." _

_--------------------_

_There was a sense of contentment as she rested her eyes, her forehead resting on Sasuke's shoulder. _

_----------------_

"_If you really need this, I won't stand in your way."_

_----------------------_

"_Sasuke's missing." _

"_What do we do now?"_

"_We'll go after him." _

'We go after him,' Emiko decided strongly, stepping through the doorway and sprinting as fast as possible to her friends.

Naruto and Sakura had easily bounded ahead Emiko jogging behind them as they raced towards the housing building, hoping it would be the only stop in their search for Sasuke. Panting, Emiko relished the sight of the house, her body aching from exhaustion and battle sores.

"Naruto hurry and check your room Sakura and I will check the girl's section there's another door to the grounds through there." Emiko directed hoarsely. Naruto nodded decisively and disappeared down the hallway and Emiko followed Sakura down another hall towards the girl's section. They strained to stay quiet, unsure of exactly how they would find their friend and in what mood he would be in.

"I should check my room, maybe he left a note for me." Sakura breathed, turning into another hallway with Emiko stumbling after her, despising exercise with each heart beat. 'I hope he at least left something.' Emiko thought as Sakura opened the door, rushing to her things and tearing through the bags, searching every crevice for a note.

"Emiko he didn't leave anything I'm going to go search the grounds." Sakura finally acknowledged, her eyes half hooded to conceal the hurt before she sniffled.

Emiko nodded dumbly, her eyes trained instead on her things as she felt Sakura push past her, too dumbstruck to notice the way her friend fled past her. Sitting on her bed was a small Ziploc bag, something she knew wasn't hers. Fearful and wary she stepped forward, partially wishing it to be a mirage as she picked up the bag.

She pulled out the items and counted them, her heart thumping painfully against her rib cage as she replaced the items back in the bag and sealed it. Seventeen raisins.


	36. Saying Goodbye

**A/n: maybe it's just me but the font seems a lot bigger...oh well. okay the next chapter is the last one. After that I will upload oneshot sequels to my account. Thank you to everyone who reviewed or who added my story. It was fun, I'm not quite satisfied with my writing but oh well I am trying to get better. -shrug-Hey! Send in questions and stuff for me to use in the funny story! Please! ...On to the story. -shyshi**

"Wishing, of all employments, is the worst."-Edward Young

Wind rustled through the trees as Sakura paced by the street, her shortened hair whipping across her face as she stared down the street.

"Sakura!" She gasped and turned to see Naruto running towards her, waving frantically for her attention. Her eyes dropped to the ground before she heard a car rev past her. Something clicked in her mind and she turned, waving and shouting for the driver's attention. Hesitantly the car slowed and she ran to it's side, staring at her reflection in the window before it glided down. The driver didn't look too much older than herself with grey hair and dark eyes shielded by round glasses.

"I'm sorry but can I have a ride?" Sakura stammered, noting the way his eyes traveled over her, making her skin crawl as she stood waiting for his response.

"To where?" He replied, his eyes blank as he regarded her. Feeling hopeful she recited Sasuke's address to him, remembering how she'd memorized it the first time she'd heard it.

"I'm going in that direction, so sure." Her mind's best efforts to force reason were blocked as she hurried around the car.

"Sakura! What are you doing!" Naruto appeared beside her looking horrified at the idea of her taking a ride with a rather creepy stranger.

"He's giving me a ride to Sasuke-kun's house." Sakura opened the door, eager to get the ride over with. Naruto's hand shot out, holding the door in place as he began to shout about the danger of the situation. She closed her eyes, frowning as tears welled.

"Naruto! Shut up!" She yelled angrily, her eyes snapping open to stare at the blonde wavering in shock. "I'm going to go to Sasuke-kun because I love him!" Without a word she stepped in, ignoring the pang of guilt shifting in her stomach as she fastened in. The man nudged the car to life, smirking. Another door snapped and Sakura's eyes widened as she looked into the back seat to see Naruto sitting somberly, arms folded as he looked at them.

"I'm coming too then." Sakura managed a nod, silently comforted by his presence as she turned back to stare out the window.

They drove, watching the scenery fly past them as Sakura stayed silent, listening to the radio as the driver fiddled with the volume. He seemed nice enough, quiet and calm although something continued to fester in her thoughts. Sakura convinced herself it was just nerves, they were after all taking a ride from a stranger.

Relief swept through the pair as Sasuke's house pulled into view, steadily creeping closer like a welcoming beacon of familiarity.

The car slowed, pulling to the side of the road before the engine died and silence ushered in. Sakura's hand had been clutching the door handle throughout the ride and she pulled, her heart beating fervently as she felt the door snap open, fresh air bursting through the crack to welcome them.

"My...friend is nearby so I'll be here if you need a ride anywhere else." Sakura shuddered, ignoring the intuition still plaguing her as she jumped fomr the car, followed by an eager and unsettled Naruto.

"Thank you." Sakura said politely before she shut the door and raced to Sasuke's house, the wind brushing away the unnerved feeling creeping over her skin as she ran. Naruto trailed loyally behind wondering what would happen. It hadn't been until half way through the ride that he'd realized they were missing someone. Emiko. Guilt still riddled his thoughts as he wondered how he could forget her, Sakura seemed focused on only one thing but Naruto. He should've remembered.

Sakura pounded on the door, her eyes shut as she hoped he would respond. Yell for her to shut up, open the door and tell her to go away, maybe invite her in. Anything, any response to show he was somewhere at least. Naruto stepped forward, watching her painfully as her knees weakened and her poundings became more desperate.

"Sasuke-kun! Open up! Where are you!" She yelled as though the door had the answers. Naruto stepped forward, grabbing her wrist and halting her motions as she turned her head, her eyes searching wildly over his face. "Where is he?" Her voice shook, begging like a broken puppy to be rescued To be answered.

"Sakura I'll call your mom and she can come pick you up." Naruto's lips twitched before he grinned widely. "Don't worry I'll find Sasu-jerk." He promised energetically and Sakura nodded quietly, smiling faintly.

Sasuke's house had been unlocked. They'd used his phone to call for a ride. It was now night and Naruto had been forced to retreat to his apartment for the night, another day of searching ahead of him when he woke.

Light flickered throughout the streets, the stars barely visible through the clouds both natural and not. Wind whistled thrugh the unnaturally silent streets but she paid no attention to it, her eyes focused on her hands as she waited. This road, it lead to a bus stop that traveled miles and miles away towards an airport. High creaks cut through the air as she listened to the sounds of the playground not to far away, shrouded in shadows.

Sakura wasn't sure why she was even there, the boy she was waiting for could be back at his house, safe and unbothered as she weathered the night for him. But there was something, pulling her, jerking her towards that road. If he was going to join that man…she prayed she wouldn't wait in vain. She based everything on the gut feeling, her intuition that he would be traveling that road.

A car engine sputtered in the darkness before it died, leaving silence in it's wake as the neighborhood seemed to quell to the atmosphere. Normally it would be roudy, people yelling and driving by screaming. Maybe a group of snobs driving by to point and jeer. But never so silent, Sakura cherished the moment, locking it away in the heart still pulsing with hope in her body.

Her hair broke her view, scattering over her face with the wind before she pushed the strands behind her ear. Her fingers lingered, running the short length of rose colored hair before she sighed. Never regret, she hoped, wondering what her friends would think. Naruto seemed shocked but complimented her as she knew he would. Emiko, she didn't seem to notice although Sakura didn't blame the girl. She had been wounded, unconcious then busy with no time to really notice the dramatic difference.

'I wonder what Sasuke-kun will think,' she mused, a sad smile coming to her face as she thought of the boy. Her chest swelled with a contortion of hope before she sighed, letting out a shuddering breath as she surveyed the streets.

She'd liked boys before but Sasuke…Thinking about him she wondered if what she felt was love. Of course she'd claimed him against Ino and gushed over his existence but she still wondered. Just a simple glance from him brightened her day, a simple acknowledgement spawned the hopes that there could be something in the future. Maybe he felt something for her.

Knowing now about his past, stealing what information she could from conversations she felt the need to be there for him, to help him along and show him happiness. She wanted him. She wanted him to be happy, to see life as a blessing and to look for something new besides revenge. She wanted to be that person that changed him.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura gasped, her attention spinning as she stood instantly, her hand clutching the fabric above her heart as she stared at the boy.

"I was waiting for you." She admitted quietly. Black eyes stared into her stonily, his features perfectly blank in the weak lamp light. "We were all worried about you." The sentiments were lost in a sudden gust of wind as Sasuke's eyes flashed with a sense of scorn.

"Go home." Sasuke ordered, his eyes closing as he coolly strode past her, his hands in his pockets as he brushed her aside. Sakura blinked, fingers curled before her mouth as her lip quivered.

"Are you going to meet that man?" Sakura gasped, turning to face his back. He paused, never faltering as he remained the perfection of statue.

"What man?" Sakura closed her eyes, a crystal tear leaking from her eye to glide down her face.

"I heard him talk to you! He offered to help you kill your brother!" Sakura replied, fellow drops of pain flowing from her eyes as she listened to the silent lullaby of the cold night air. "Sasuke-kun, please don't go to him! You can stay here! I can make you happy! Please! He's dangerous!"

Hush transcended as they stood, the few steps separating them distorting to miles of unfathomable distance as she wept quietly behind him praying for the happy ending she'd seen so many time in stories. She hiccupped, tears freely rushing her cheeks as her thoughts warped. In her mind Sasuke appeared, evil and unhappy. Crimson rivulets glided down his face, his eyes burning a lush red as he became distorted, pulled from his soul as he sold it for his revenge.

"If you leave! Who knows what that man could do! Please Sasuke-kun! Please don't leave me!" She stumbled the few steps and wrapped her arms around him, ignoring his backpack as her fingers curled into his shirt, holding him to her. He stiffened but whether from shock or dislike she didn't know or care. Instead she held on, crying rivers to dampen his backpack.

"Go home and sleep." Sasuke finally spoke, easily prying her fingers from his shirt as though their were thorns to him. Sakura sniffled, rubbing her nose as a harsh gust of wind broke through. Ahead the playground swings creaked eerily through the moment, almost as though screaming in agony.

"Please! I love you!" Sakura begged grasping to his arm for a second before he jerked coldly from her grasp. 'I have to make him…' Sakura thought as he took another step away, another step down the path she feared for him.

"He's a criminal! If you go I'll scream! I'll make Kakashi-san bring you back! I'll scream!" choked Sakura, her green eyes resting on his dark locks of hair. Before her eyes he turned and she felt a small woosh of air before his voice sounded behind her.

"Sakura…" Even with the emotion still devoid in his voice Sakura's eyes widened, partially from surprise as she felt his voice playing so melodically to her ear. Another tear fell, the simple water drop holding her anguish as though a memorable keepsake it alone was allowed to embrace. "Thanks." Sudden pain tingled through her body as she felt her knees weaken, her vision blurring into darkness as she listened to his voice in the deep caverns of her mind.

It all went dark.

Sasuke picked her up, laying her gently on the bench before he shuffled his backpack on his shoulders and turned to continue on. A silhouette broke from the shadows by the playground, prying its form into the street light almost as though against its will.

Sasuke waited silently, his gaze continuing the barrier he'd perfected so long ago as he watched the being raise its head. Rays of artificial light played across the features before the person raised their head fully. Glaze flashed over their eyes, one brown and one blue, both calm and collected as Emiko stood silently in front of him.


	37. I'll Miss You

It is never too late to give up our prejudices."-Henry David Thoreau

Wind brushed over the silence painting it rich, dark colors as it whispered over the streets, nudging trash over the sidewalks as it went. Slowly Emiko turned her eyes to the unconscious girl lying on the bench, streaks gleaming on her face like make up of agony. She'd been there the entire time, silently listening as she had swayed on the playground swing, dragging her feet over the soil in a manner reminiscent of the memories she kept locked in her mind.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke finally spoke, his voice commanding her attention as she pried her eyes from Sakura's tear stained face.

"We were worried. We didn't know where you were." Emiko chose to respond, her eyes searching hollowly over the streets. Her fingers played with a thread of her shirt, grateful she was able to make it to her home in time to clean up and change.

"I'm not staying." At the words Emiko's eyes finally locked onto his face, memorizing each shadow and line as she stared at him.

"You're being an idiot, running off to join some criminal." Emiko replied, all her frustration biting through her words. 'Why can't he just stay?' she thought to herself as she watched him shift his pack.

"I didn't ask for your approval." Sasuke replied coldly, stepping forward, his eyes half closed as he ignored her. Emiko nodded silently, pushing strands of hair from her eyes as she tried to drive away the words, tried to ignore the way his voice stung.

"You're willing to sell your soul to get revenge?" Emiko questioned, still watching him steadily. No response came and she turned, watching him walk away before she reached out, grabbing his arm tightly to halt his steps.

"Damn it Sasuke I'm not asking you to stay and devote yourself to a relationship! I just want to know that I won't some day hear about you being wanted for murder!" Her voice strained towards a yell, her free hand shaking at her side as it curled into a fist.

He stayed calm, as the perfection of an onyx statue he always seemed to be. Gradually his head tilted until he met her gaze though not as cold as before, she realized with a small spark of hope as she clutched to the connection. Thoughts ran through her mind as she tried to break through, imagining what he could be thinking.

"Go home." Emiko frowned, glaring at him as she tightened her hold on his arm no longer concerned with his reaction as she jerked him into spinning to face her.

He didn't move, simply stared at her with a flicker of question. 'Does he even care?' Emiko thought to herself as she searched his face, prying for a hint that something would show. Doubt began to poke at her thoughts and she began to wonder if he'd ever felt anything besides the hatred now coating him like a fine gloss finish.

"Sasuke, do you even care?" The words stumbled out of her mouth, fearful of the answer as his features never changed. Would he even answer? Minutes passed with nothing but the sounds of the wind as company as they stood silently on the sidewalk waiting for a shred of answers to their never ending torture.

"I'm leaving." Sasuke finally replied, jerking his arm from her grasp and turning away from her. She glared at him, furious and hurt that it was all he had to say. Reaching forward she smacked him on the head, hard, as she vented her simple aggravation. Never missing a beat Sasuke continued down the sidewalk.

'Oh no you don't.' The girl thought as she watched him step steadily away. Sprinting forward she reappeared before him, glowering at him as she barred his path.

"Who do you think you are! Just leaving like this without a word to anyone! There are people who care about you!" Emiko yelled angrily as she blocked him, her arms spread wide as she tried to thrust away the desperate sorrow biting at her. Her mind wretched under his stare, pangs of guilt and anger drowning her with a mighty lurch. "If you go everyone's going to miss you!"

"Everyone? Or you?" Sasuke challenged quietly, his voice barely above the noises of the trash dancing in the wind. Emiko blinked, unsure of what to say as her mind raced to find an answer. She would miss him but, her mind reeled to the words she'd heard, rocking in silence on the swing.

'He didn't care that Sakura said she loved him, would I be any different?' Doubt poked at her thoughts, snickering as it sawed away confidence and replaced it with a weak crutch. Undecided and confused she wanted to protect herself as she felt Sasuke step closer, the familiar feeling of his eyes on her both welcomed and unnerving.

"Everyone." She replied, dragging her thoughts back into reality as she watched him. He blinked and nodded before carelessly resting a hand on her shoulder. Confusion pricked before Emiko staggered and fell to one side, almost tripping over her feet as Sasuke pushed her away.

"What the hell?" She said sourly before she leapt forward, grasping his arm and yanking him back to face her. Once again she stopped him, glaring at him as she refused to let go. "What was that for!"

"I don't care about everyone." Sasuke replied monotonously, the epitome of mystery resting in his eyes. Neither seemed able to speak beyond that, Emiko torn down the seams of herself as she tried to reconcile her thoughts. Part wished to simply let him go, to cut her losses while she could and save what shreds she could, the other seemed to dwell in the memories, the cutting board of her life plastered over the walls as images played through her mind. It remained the hopeful side, yelling at her to make him stay.

"Why do you need revenge so badly?" Emiko murmured calmly, her hand dropping from his arm as though to show she trusted he wouldn't run from her. He didn't.

"He killed my family. I'm going to kill him." Insisted Sasuke, almost as a promise to her. Emiko forced herself to nod quietly, thinking over everything that had happened as she searched for comfort in the breeze.

'Say something!' She pleaded with herself, distinctly aware of how her mouth seemed to be filled with poisonous words she longed to release. Her lips stayed seal though as she brushed hair from her face.

"Everyone will miss you. They'll worry." The words choked in her throat as she felt pangs of guilt. 'Everyone' 'They'. Pathetic attempts to try and save herself from bearing her true thoughts and feelings.

"Hn." Emiko nodded quietly, watching him turn and walk down the sidewalk, a remorseful smile on her face. 'Say something!' Her hands rushed to her hand, fingers entwining in her hair as she tried to shake out the confusion almost pushed to tears by everything. The hiding, the fear, sorrow, confusion, anger and hope bubbling like a venomous mixture in her head.

A chill passed in a line over her face as she opened her eyes, withdrawing a hand and hesitantly touching her cheek. Pulling away her hand her fingertip glistened in the weak light and she sighed. Something sparked and her attention snapped to the sidewalk, following its path with her eyes until she found the dark figure in the distance.

Racing forward she felt a new determination and resolution like a welcomed warm blanket around her conscious. As she came closer she noticed him pause, his head slightly tilted as he had apparently heard her footsteps.

Stopping quickly, she steadied herself in a sudden gust of wind, her hair whipping in the wind. It didn't matter though as she stared at him the familiar comfort of his attention upon her.

"I'll miss you." She muttered, a spring of hope manifesting in the silence. What came next threw a shock to the mix as Sasuke replied, a sense of foreign softness in his voice.

"So, are you coming or not?"


	38. I'll Miss You Song Insert

**A/n: Honestly I think I did a terrible job writing this chapter it's why it took so long to upload. Hope it's good enough for you readers. Check my profile it has the lists of other works I'm doing or hoping to do. Thanks for all the support! Enjoy-shyshi P.s this chapter was added last minute since I decided to try adding a song in. It's called Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls. Opinions please!**

"It is never too late to give up our prejudices."-Henry David Thoreau

Wind brushed over the silence painting it rich, dark colors as it whispered over the streets, nudging trash over the sidewalks as it went. Slowly Emiko turned her eyes to the unconscious girl lying on the bench, streaks gleaming on her face like make up of agony. She'd been there the entire time, silently listening as she had swayed on the playground swing, dragging her feet over the soil in a manner reminiscent of the memories she kept locked in her mind.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke finally spoke, his voice commanding her attention as she pried her eyes from Sakura's tear stained face.

"We were worried. We didn't know where you were." Emiko chose to respond, her eyes searching hollowly over the streets. Her fingers played with a thread of her shirt, grateful she was able to make it to her home in time to clean up and change.

"I'm not staying." At the words Emiko's eyes finally locked onto his face, memorizing each shadow and line as she stared at him.

"You're being an idiot, running off to join some criminal." Emiko replied, all her frustration biting through her words. 'Why can't he just stay?' she thought to herself as she watched him shift his pack.

"I didn't ask for your approval." Sasuke replied coldly, stepping forward, his eyes half closed as he ignored her. Emiko nodded silently, pushing strands of hair from her eyes as she tried to drive away the words, tried to ignore the way his voice stung.

"You're willing to sell your soul to get revenge?" Emiko questioned, still watching him steadily. No response came and she turned, watching him walk away before she reached out, grabbing his arm tightly to halt his steps.

___And I'd give up forever to touch you, _

_Cause I know that you feel me some how._

"Damn it Sasuke I'm not asking you to stay and devote yourself to a relationship! I just want to know that I won't some day hear about you being wanted for murder!" Her voice strained towards a yell, her free hand shaking at her side as it curled into a fist.

He stayed calm, as the perfection of an onyx statue he always seemed to be. Gradually his head tilted until he met her gaze though not as cold as before, she realized with a small spark of hope as she clutched to the connection. Thoughts ran through her mind as she tried to break through, imagining what he could be thinking.

_You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be,_

_And I don't want to go home right now._

"Go home." Emiko frowned, glaring at him as she tightened her hold on his arm no longer concerned with his reaction as she jerked him into spinning to face her.

He didn't move, simply stared at her with a flicker of question. 'Does he even care?' Emiko thought to herself as she searched his face, prying for a hint that something would show. Doubt began to poke at her thoughts and she began to wonder if he'd ever felt anything besides the hatred now coating him like a fine gloss finish.

_And all I can taste is this moment, _

_And all I can breathe is your life,_

"Sasuke, do you even care?" The words stumbled out of her mouth, fearful of the answer as his features never changed. Would he even answer? Minutes passed with nothing but the sounds of the wind as company as they stood silently on the sidewalk waiting for a shred of answers to their never ending torture.

"I'm leaving." Sasuke finally replied, jerking his arm from her grasp and turning away from her. She glared at him, furious and hurt that it was all he had to say. Reaching forward she smacked him on the head, hard, as she vented her simple aggravation. Never missing a beat Sasuke continued down the sidewalk.

_And sooner or later it's over, _

_I just don't want to miss you tonight._

'Oh no you don't.' The girl thought as she watched him step steadily away. Sprinting forward she reappeared before him, glowering at him as she barred his path.

"Who do you think you are! Just leaving like this without a word to anyone! There are people who care about you!" Emiko yelled angrily as she blocked him, her arms spread wide as she tried to thrust away the desperate sorrow biting at her. Her mind wretched under his stare, pangs of guilt and anger drowning her with a mighty lurch. "If you go everyone's going to miss you!"

"Everyone? Or you?" Sasuke challenged quietly, his voice barely above the noises of the trash dancing in the wind. Emiko blinked, unsure of what to say as her mind raced to find an answer. She would miss him but, her mind reeled to the words she'd heard, rocking in silence on the swing.

_And I don't want the world to see me, _

_'Cause I don't think that they'd understand._

'He didn't care that Sakura said she loved him, would I be any different?' Doubt poked at her thoughts, snickering as it sawed away confidence and replaced it with a weak crutch. Undecided and confused she wanted to protect herself as she felt Sasuke step closer, the familiar feeling of his eyes on her both welcomed and unnerving.

_When everything's made to be broken,_

_I just want you to know who I am._

"Everyone." She replied, dragging her thoughts back into reality as she watched him. He blinked and nodded before carelessly resting a hand on her shoulder. Confusion pricked before Emiko staggered and fell to one side, almost tripping over her feet as Sasuke pushed her away.

"What the hell?" She said sourly before she leapt forward, grasping his arm and yanking him back to face her. Once again she stopped him, glaring at him as she refused to let go. "What was that for!"

_And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming, _

_Or the moment of truth in your lies._

"I don't care about everyone." Sasuke replied monotonously, the epitome of mystery resting in his eyes. Neither seemed able to speak beyond that, Emiko torn down the seams of herself as she tried to reconcile her thoughts. Part wished to simply let him go, to cut her losses while she could and save what shreds she could, the other seemed to dwell in the memories, the cutting board of her life plastered over the walls as images played through her mind. It remained the hopeful side, yelling at her to make him stay.

_When everything feels like the movies, _

_Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive._

"Why do you need revenge so badly?" Emiko murmured calmly, her hand dropping from his arm as though to show she trusted he wouldn't run from her. He didn't.

_And I don't want the world to see me,_

_'Cause I don't think that they'd understand._

"He killed my family. I'm going to kill him." Insisted Sasuke, almost as a promise to her. Emiko forced herself to nod quietly, thinking over everything that had happened as she searched for comfort in the breeze.

'Say something!' She pleaded with herself, distinctly aware of how her mouth seemed to be filled with poisonous words she longed to release. Her lips stayed seal though as she brushed hair from her face.

_When everything's made to be broken,_

_I just want you to know who I am._

"Everyone will miss you. They'll worry." The words choked in her throat as she felt pangs of guilt. 'Everyone' 'They'. Pathetic attempts to try and save herself from bearing her true thoughts and feelings.

"Hn." Emiko nodded quietly, watching him turn and walk down the sidewalk, a remorseful smile on her face. 'Say something!' Her hands rushed to her hand, fingers entwining in her hair as she tried to shake out the confusion almost pushed to tears by everything. The hiding, the fear, sorrow, confusion, anger and hope bubbling like a venomous mixture in her head.

A chill passed in a line over her face as she opened her eyes, withdrawing a hand and hesitantly touching her cheek. Pulling away her hand her fingertip glistened in the weak light and she sighed. Something sparked and her attention snapped to the sidewalk, following its path with her eyes until she found the dark figure in the distance.

_And I don't want the whole world to see me, _

_'Cause I don't think that they'd understand._

Racing forward she felt a new determination and resolution like a welcomed warm blanket around her conscious. As she came closer she noticed him pause, his head slightly tilted as he had apparently heard her footsteps.

Stopping quickly, she steadied herself in a sudden gust of wind, her hair whipping in the wind. It didn't matter though as she stared at him the familiar comfort of his attention upon her.

_When everything's made to be broken, _

_I just want you to know who I am._

"I'll miss you." She muttered, a spring of hope manifesting in the silence. What came next threw a shock to the mix as Sasuke replied, a sense of foreign softness in his voice.

"So, are you coming or not?"

_I just want you to know who I am..._


End file.
